Forget-Me-Not
by TheDragonQueen706
Summary: In one deciding moment, Namika finds herself severely injured and in a coma; but when she wakes, the world isn't the same. She's lost a year's worth of memories, including those of a budding romance with Shinji Hirako. After her brother's death, she flees to the world of the living. She finds that there is a reason for everything and sometimes it's worth the wait.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I know it's been a long while since I've written a bleach story; but I hope you all enjoy this one. Let me know what you think.**

Chapter 1:

In The Beginning….

Namika Shiba, youngest member of the Shiba Clan, readied her blade. She was prepared to lay her life on the line for the Seireitei. Being so much like her older brother, Kaien Shiba, she wanted to fight against the hollows and bring a sense of justice to the world. Whether that happened remained to be seen; but she was determined to succeed in the virtue.

"Namika, scout the perimeter."

She looked up from the hilt of her blade to meet the eyes of her Captain. The soft green of them gave a sense of comfort to her. The short glance was met with a smile as he shoved away a large chunk of his white hair away out of his face. Captain Ukitake was like a father figure to her, though she'd never admit that to anyone.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw her brother giving commands to other members of their squad. Namika smiled at him. The entire squad looked up to him and she was no different. He turned to look at her, raising an arm up to scratch the back of his head innocently. The tattoo of their family crest on his arm was visible from under the sleeve of his shihakushō.

"Stay safe, little sister." He said placing a hand on the top of her head, messing up her long auburn locks in the process.

"I'm always careful. You have nothing to worry about." She answered while pushing his hand away from the top of her head.

"You say that and it only makes me worry more."

Kaien's smile faded and all that was left was painful silence. She watched her brother's gentle eyes narrow into the abyss of the forest that lay beyond them. The birds scattered in the trees and that's when Namika heard the howl of a hollow.

She searched in every direction for movement; but saw nothing until it was too late. Seeming to come out of thin air, the hollow lunged forward straight at her brother. Making the decision without question, she shoved her brother out of the way.

"NO!" Kaien shouted desperately.

Claws impaled Namika's body, causing her to go limp almost instantly. Jūshirō severed the head of another hollow when he heard Kaien's plea. His eyes widened in horror as he saw the body of his dear friend's sister hanging lifeless on the claws of overly large hollow.

Without a care in the world, it flung her body off his appendage. Kaien screamed in anger and lunged at the large beast only for it to disappear just as it had appeared, into thin air. Jūshirō appeared next to the fallen Namika. He looked down at her with sympathy before reaching down to pick her up in his arms. He felt the warmth of her blood soaking his clothing

"Is she..." Kaien asked unable to finish the sentence in its entirety.

"No; but she will be if we don't get her back to Unohana quickly."

Kaien couldn't say anything else. He knew that his Captain would be a lot faster than he would be. Giving a simple nod of the head allowed Jushiro Ukitake to carry his severely injured sister to Squad Four for dire treatment. All he could do was stand there and wish that he had done something different or realized sooner that the hollows had lain a trap for them.

He also realized that he was going to the one to tell someone close to his sister's heart to news and hope that he didn't kill in the process.

 **XxXxXxXxXx**

Squad Four rushed around frantically. They scattered in every which direction to give space to the incoming patient. Her body lay on a stretcher, prone and cover in crimson fluid. Her breathing was shallow at best. The amount of blood pooling around her was significant and the man, who was carrying her in, knew that she'd be lucky to make it out of the room alive.

"Captain Unohana!" The man voice shouted from across the room.

A woman, dressed in a white haori, turned her head in the direction of the voice. She had long ebony hair wrapped around her neck and braided across the front of her body. A calm demeanor cascaded across her face. In a matter of seconds, it changed the second her gray eyes were upon the woman near death on the table. "What happened to her?" She asked softly.

"We don't know. Captain Ukitake brought her in this way. I didn't ask questions. I'm sorry, Captain." Her subordinate answered.

Retsu Unohana, Captain of Squad Four also known as the medical unit, hovered her hands over the injured woman. Her eyes narrowed slightly, concentrating on the task at hand. The girl's wounds were significant, she knew that; but she wasn't about to give up on her. As she worked diligently, Retsu studied her patient's features trying to figure out if she recognized her or not and that's when she saw the tattoo on the inside of the woman's wrist.

It was a crest she was all too familiar with. The Shiba Clan. Clearly the woman laying on the table was not Kaien, so it had to be Namika. A sudden twitch in her fingers ceased all other thoughts. "Her hand moved, Captain!"

"I see that. Go get me some fresh water and a cloth." She ordered.

"Right away!"

 **XxXxXxXxXxXx**

A black void of emptiness surrounded her. Looking around, there was nothing but black as far as the eye could see. She tried to scream; but her voice was mute. Fear rushed through her veins, turning them cold. Spinning in circles, the burning sensation of tears stung the corner of her eyes. She wondered if this was death. If it was, she wanted nothing to do with it.

"Namika!" A feminine voice called.

Hearing her name, she shifted her head to look in the direction of the voice. A small shimmer of light was centered in middle of the black oasis. Namika started to run in the direction of the light. Once she reached it, the black faded replaced with a meadow filled with summer seasoned flowers. "What...the...hell…." Namika said wondering what was going on.

"You don't recognize this place?" The voice from before asked.

She turned around to come face to face with a black dragon that was no bigger than the size of a large dog standing upright. Crimson eyes connected with her jade ones. A chunk of auburn hair fell into her face as her startled body jerked back a step. "Kuroi ryū..." She said breathlessly.

"So you recognize me; but not this place? That hollow definitely did a number on your head."

"What do you mean? What hollow?"

Kuroi ryū cocked her head to the side, realizing what happened to her beloved partner. The moment the hollow struck Namika down, she knew deep down something was going to happen. The fear of her not surviving was still great; but now, seeing the shell she was now. Maybe death would have been easier. "You don't remember?"

"No...it's...all hazy. You are my zanpakutō; but the rest is gone..."

Namika frowned in frustration before collapsing to the ground on her knees. The warmth of the grass tickling her skin was as real as ever; but she felt that this whole conversation was a lie, something to distract her from the reality of death itself.

 **XxXxXxXxXxXx**

Kaien rushed towards the Squad Four medical building. He could see that there was disarray within the room. He was losing his patience, so he grabbed the closest male squad member by the arm and held tightly. "Where is Namika?" He asked harshly.

"The Captain is working on her." The scared squad member replied in a trembling voice.

"Take me to her, now!"

Without arguing about the request, he lead Kaien through the crowded building to where his Captain was working on the woman in question. Kaien felt the guilt rise up his throat and choke him. He knew there was no way he was going to forgive himself for this transaction. Big brothers were supposed to look after their younger sisters' and he had failed in that task.

The second they arrived at the closed door, his heart pounded against the inside of his chest, making his hands shake. Reaching for the handle of the door, he took a step back as the door opened and Retsu Unohana stood before him. She was exhausted and sweating from her brow.

Retsu looked at Kaien for a moment and saw the desperate look upon his face. "Tell me, Captain Unohana….will she make it?" He asked clenching his hands into fists at his side.

"She's in critical condition; but stable at the moment. Namika has not waken and probably won't for quite some time. Her body needs to heal and to be honest I have no idea how her brain was affected by the several times her heart stopped beating."

If that didn't explain how close to death she had been, nothing would. Kaien trembled at the thought of it. How was he going to explain all of what happened their to rest of their family? If he couldn't figure out how to explain it to her Captain friend, he wasn't going to be prepared to tell their family.

"Can I see her?"

"Of course, just don't linger too long. She's got a ways to go in the healing process."

Kaien agreed to her terms and stepped out around her to enter the room. Inside, he could see Namika attached to several different devices. Taking the walk of shame towards her, he finally sat down in a chair next to the medical bed. "I am so sorry, Mika..." He apologized.

"I'm a sad excuse of a big brother. I'm the one who should have been protecting you and here you are doing it for me." Kaien said again.

"Don't beat yourself up over it." A familiar voice said from behind him.

He turned his head slightly to see the white Captain's haori and long blonde hair. The Captain of Squad Five, Shinji Hirako, stood in the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest. Kaien let out a sigh and returned his head in the direction of his sister. "You wouldn't be saying that if you had seen what that hollow did to her."

"You and I both know how strong willed she is. This won't kill her, of that I am certain." Shinji stated.

"How can you be so calm? You care for her, right?"

Shinji's eyes widened a little; but quickly returned to normal. He refused to let the situation break him. He had to be strong, not only for his squad; but for Namika herself. "I care more than she even realizes and that's why I refuse to believe anything less than her surviving. Those words will be told to her face to face when she wakes up."

Without hearing it himself, Kaien knew that The Captain of the Fifth Squad loved his little sister. That knowledge let him smile, at least partly. Little did they know, there were so many things working against them, especially for Shinji.

 **XxXxXxXxXx**

The days passed with no sign of Namika waking. Kaien still held onto hope even though he was often told he should just accept that she was gone. When days turned into months, it became harder to grasp the hope and lessened the amount of time he visited that room that housed her in the Squad Four medical building.

Sitting in the office drowning in the paperwork that had been piling up on his desk, his Captain returned with a solemn expression on his face. The meeting with the Head Captain had taken much longer than usual that morning and he instantly knew that there was something wrong.

"What's wrong, Captain?" Kaien asked trying to keep calm.

"With all the chaos that's happened over the last few years, Head Captain Yamamoto announced that Kisuke Urahara was found guilty of hollow-soul reaper experiments, which resulted in so many casualties. I just don't want to believe that, nor do I want to believe that all those people are dead." Jūshirō answered sitting down on the floor with a sigh.

"You don't mean the rescue squad..."

"I do mean them..."

Kaien gasped in horror, knowing that Shinji had been a part of that rescue team. He also knew that Namika would be completely heartbroken when she woke to find out he was dead. Instantly getting up from his chair, he clenched his hands into fist. It was not how he wanted his sister wake up, so he refused to believe that Shinji was dead for her sake.

"Captain! Kaien!" A squad member yelled bursting through the door.

"What is it?" Kaien asked on full alert at this point.

"I've gotten word from Captain Unohana that Namika is awake."

Without a single thought, Kaien rushed out of the office and in the direction of Squad Four. His only thoughts were on her and how she was going to react to all the information she had lost over the last couple of month while she was in the coma. How she was going to react about the news of Shinji's death?

When he arrived, he was escorted to her room right away without any waiting at all. The door was already opened as Captain Unohana was checking her vitals. Namika was sitting upright and had a confused look upon her face. Her jade eyes were still glassy as they looked right at him. "Kaien..." She said in a horse voice, clearly not used to being used just yet.

Retsu turned to see the older sibling of the Shiba Clan standing in the doorway. She smiled warmly and proceeded to walk in his direction. "It seems all her wounds are healed nicely with only a small scar to show. However, there seems to be some amnesia when it comes to her memory. It's good to see that she recognizes you. Without some testing, I won't know how deep the amnesia is." She explained.

"It's better than not having her alive at all. I think in time the memory will come back."

"I hope you are right."

Retsu walked out of the room leaving the siblings some time alone. Kaien closed the distance and sat down in the chair next to the bed, reaching for her hand. Namika turned her head to face him fully. "What's wrong? You are looking at me like you haven't seen me in a long time." She asked clenching the bedsheet with her free hand.

"You've been in a coma for six months, Mika…"

"What do you mean? I...I...don't remember…"

Kaien's heart dropped. The frustration was on her face. She reached up to touch her face before leaning her head against her palms. The soft sobs erupted from her throat and there was nothing he could do to fix her mind. Guilt rose up as he watched his sister break down in front of him. "I'm so sorry. I should have been a better brother to you…"

"Don't say that...you've been the only one who ever understood what I felt growing up. Kūkaku never listened to me and now...I don't remember how I even got here…"

"What is the last thing you remember?"

"Promoted to the Thirteenth Squad from graduation and how happy I was knowing that I was going to be in the same squad as you…"

Kaien frowned, he wondered how he was going to tell her that her last memory had taken place over a year ago. It also meant that she didn't remember Shinji at all. As awful the thought was, he was slightly glad that Shinji might be gone, because the pain he'd feel knowing that she didn't remember him would be devastating.

Namika lifted her head up from her hands, wiping the tears away from her eyes. "I want to remember...and I'll be damned to live without my memories. Do I have friends...do I know love…"

"We will help you…I promise you that…"

"He's right. We will help you." A familiar voice said.

The siblings turned to look at the doorway to see their Captain standing in the doorway. There was a warm smile on his face and it gave Namika hope that she would one day regain her lost memories; but until then, she would do her best as a soul reaper in her beloved Squad Thirteen.

 **XxXxXxXxXx**

Many Years Later….

Namika ran as fast as she could, not bothering if it was forbidden ground. The pain was far too real to be true, despite seeing it with her own eyes. The memory flashed through her eyes like a bad movie. There had been so much blood and the grim look upon that girl's face as she carried Kaien's lifeless body to their family home on the outside of the Seireitei.

He had promised her that he'd always be there for her and he had broken that promise. Now that he was gone that pain was too much for her to bear alone. Burning tears rolled down her cheeks; but it didn't matter to her, she wanted to leave it all behind.

"Halt! You need permission to leave." One of the guards said standing next to a large wooden gate.

"Step aside!" She screamed, ignoring the voice from her zanpakutō urging her to stop before things got worse for her.

"That's Namika Shiba. Word is her brother just died in combat." The second guard stated in her defense.

She stared at the senkaimon that would be her only exit out of the chaos she currently lived. Clenching her hands into fists at her sides, she was ready to strike if they weren't going to let her through. "Please...let me go…" She begged before another wave of tears trickled down her face.

"Let her go, she's in pain. Maybe a visit to the World of the Living would do her some good. There is plenty of hollows for her to take her frustrations out on." A new voice entered the fray.

The guards stood at attention when they saw who spoke those words. Namika turned to see her own Captain standing there. He stood with an emotional glance. It made her realize that it wasn't just her that lost someone important. He had to. "Captain Ukitake...are you sure?" The first guard asked.

"I'm sure."

"Thank you, Captain…"

"Don't stay too long."

The two guards stepped aside and opened the gate that would grant her a temporary freedom. She looked at her Captain once more and then ran through the gate. Jūshirō looked on, wondering if he had made the best choice. He knew that the Head Captain would be angry for allowing such a thing to happen; but he couldn't keep the grieving girl cooped up. It was unfair of him to do such a thing.

"Stay safe…" He whispered before walking away from the now closing gate.

Namika fell through the senkaimon and landed on the ground with a thud. Pushing herself up onto her feet, she looked around at her new surroundings. The moon was full up in the sky and it seemed so much further away than in the Soul Society. The grassy hillside was similar to ones she had seen in the Soul Society.

Her memory was still hazy about the things she learned about the World of The Living. Who was she kidding, her memory was still hazy about a lot of things. Her mind still wouldn't bring back the time she lost. Staring up at the sky, she was unnaturally calm by its glowing embrace.

"I wish I could remember everything, brother. Where do I go from here?" She asked herself.

"You've grown up, Namika." A voice said from behind her.

She quickly unsheathed her blade and swiftly turned around to see who had spoken to her while still a spirit. Her eyes widened when they made contact with those of someone who was supposed to have been executed years prior. There was no doubt in her mind though that Kisuke Urahara stood before her.

 **End Note: I know it's a slow start; but I promise it will get better.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Thanks goes to Cutefrog for giving me the first review and for following this story. I realize it was a very slow start; but I'm confident that it will get better in time. I hope you enjoy the next installment and let me know what you think.**

Chapter 2:

House of The Moon

He stood with his face partially covered under the shadows of the night. Namika didn't know how to react nor did she know what to do. She had heard through the grapevine from awfully chatting people in the Soul Society that he had been charged with unlawful experiments that blended Soul Reapers with Hollows.

Looking at him in that moment, she felt that maybe he had been innocent all along and no one wanted to listen to his side of the argument. Shoving those thoughts away, her hand clenched tighter around the hilt of her zanpakutō.

"If you are who I think you are...then how the hell did you escape still alive?" Namika asked still fully on guard.

"I wouldn't have without some help from some dear friends of mine." He answered with a smile. The sincerity was clearly written on his face.

Ever since she became a Soul Reaper the lines were more often not just black and white; but a blurred version of the two. Of course, not having a good chunk of her memories were also an issue. Her little brother Gonju had been born without her knowledge while she slept in a coma and she had to look at him in the eye while they learned that their brother had been killed by someone he had trusted, even if it had been done in an act of mercy. They still condemned her, that much she could see.

Namika swiftly unsheathed her blade and turned it in the direction of his throat. Her eyes narrowed. He let out a half laugh and reached up to place his fingers on each side of the blade end before slowing pushing it away from his neck. "I'm not here to hurt you nor am your enemy here." He stated.

"Why should I believe you?" She whispered.

"If I was your enemy, I would have let all those victims get destroyed by Central 46 that night I was found guilty of committing a crime I didn't commit."

"That doesn't prove anything!"

"Do you not remember who was a part of that team?"

She didn't. Her mind was blank. That's when Kisuke saw the empty stare. She didn't remember that so many people she cared about had been sent on that rescue mission from hell, including his own lieutenant at the time. "So you woke without your memories…"

The sound of his saddened voice, allowed Namika to lower her weapon and really look at the man before her. She had heard so many stories about him; but she couldn't remember if she had ever met him in person before now. Kaien used to tell her that he was the smartest guy he knew and would likely have be able to do great things within the Seireitei had it not been for that mission. "I've lost a year's worth of memories when I woke; but I wish I could just forget everything…"

"Why don't you come back with me and we will see what we can do about your memories?" Kisuke offered.

Namika looked up from the ground and studied his face, looking for any signs of a lie. When she didn't see any, she nodded and sheathed her blade at her side. Walking with him seemed a little awkward to her, because it reminded her of walking after her Captain back in the Soul Society. She adored her Captain; but he didn't need a soldier that couldn't do her job properly. She thought perhaps Kisuke could get her to where she needed to be.

Kisuke looked back at her several times, wondering what could have happened that would send her running to the World of The Living on purpose. Deciding that it was better to not ask just yet, he lead her to his home.

To her, it looked like he was in the process of turning it into a store of some kind. Though it didn't really matter to her, as long as she had somewhere to go while she was in the World of the Living. She watched him slide a wooden door open and in a matter of seconds another man greeted him. Namika felt like she had seen him before.

The man was tall, muscular with lightly tanned skin. He also had a mustache that connected to his long sideburns. He also wore rectangular-shaped glasses. "Oh we have a guest, I will make tea." He stated before returning to where he came from around the corner.

"He looks familiar to me…"

"Tessai Tsukabishi, former Captain of the Kido Corps." Kisuke answered without waiting for a question to be asked.

"Was he one of the ones who helped you escape Central 46?"

The silence was her answer. Tessai returned several moments later with a black tray, and upon it were a couple of cups and a tea kettle on it. The scent of it waved under her nose. It smelled sweet; but she wasn't exactly sure what kind it was.

Kisuke took the kettle from the tray and poured the fluid into the cup before sliding it in her direction. Namika took the cup in her shaking hand and took the first sip. The hot liquid warmed her insides like nothing else in the world could. "Why run from the Soul Society?" Kisuke asked suddenly.

"There was no place left for me there. If I could, I'd return home to my sister and brother; but they never would let me do such a thing."

Taking several more sips from the china cup, her vision was starting to become blurry and from there it didn't take long for her to pass out on the floor, spilling the tea across the small round table beside her. Kisuke let out a sigh of relief. Tessai looked at him briefly before hearing the commotion from the open floor tile. "Oh shut up! I did not!" A male voice shouted and it was followed by a nagging female one seconds later.

"You are still a dumbass."

"Could you please keep your voices down? We have a guest!" Tessai boomed from around the corner.

Kisuke looked up from the sleeping body of Namika to the small group of eight forming at the doorway. They all kept their mouth shut for a moment until they saw who the guest was. "You brought a Soul Reaper here!" The smallest of the group shouted stepping out of the group, her blonde hair was pulled up into a ponytail of sorts and her piercing brown eyes bore into Kisuke.

"She's running from the Soul Society. There is something going on, of that I am certain, Hyori." He answered reaching for the cloth that Tessai offered him to clean the spillage of tea on the table.

"That is Namika Shiba is it not…" Another female voice asked. She had a long ebony braid that fell over her shoulder.

"It is…" A male voice stated this time. His long blonde hair was loosely tied back behind him.

The rest of the group looked at him, knowing his past history with the woman sleeping on the floor. Shinji couldn't believe what he was seeing. To him, it had to be a torturous dream that was playing a game in his mind. "She really couldn't be here, could she?" He mentally asked himself.

"Shinji...she's a soul reaper...you are different now." Lisa stated.

"You don't think I know that!" Shinji shouted in frustration before walking away, slamming the front door behind him.

They rest of the group scattered unsure of what to say next. Kisuke knelt down to lift the sleeping woman off the floor. He carried her to a different room and lay her down on a makeshift bed. Tessai entered the room silently with a concerned look upon his face. "So why did you bring her here?" He asked.

"I owe her sister a lot. There is no way I could turn her away especially under the circumstances of Kaien's death." Kisuke answered.

He gently draped a blanket over her prone body before getting up to walk out of the room. Tessai followed closely behind. He felt guilty for drugging her the way he did; but he knew that if Shinji had been able to talk her it wouldn't have turned out very well, especially since he didn't know that her memories of him were gone.

"Will you be needing a Gigai for her?" Tessai asked.

"That would be a safe bet. I don't foresee her leaving anytime soon."

 **XxXxXxXxXx**

Shinji walked the streets with his hands in the pockets of his pants. The silence was perfect for his racing mind. It had been so many years since he had seen Namika. He didn't understand why she was there in the first place. Though, he hadn't stuck around to find out. His emotions were all over the place.

Sitting on the top of a grassy hillside, he stared up at the full moon thinking back on the last conversation they had together.

 _Namika stood in the middle of the Squad Thirteen training grounds with her zanpakutō released in all its glory. The way she moved with every attack was like a breathtaking dance on water. Her zanpakutō, Kuroi ryū, was a water based weapon which allowed the user to control all depths of water; including the weather._

 _It didn't come as a surprise to him to find that her weapon was a water one just as her brother Kaien's was. The difference was mainly the representation of the released blade. Her training partner rolled away to dodge her last attack only to be caught by a swift kick to the gut from her perfectly timed gestures._

" _You've improved greatly since the last time we trained together." Her partner commented._

" _Thank you!" She replied with a smile that just brought her to a different light entirely._

 _They bowed before each other before calling it quits for the day. She leapt out of the grounds and landed right in front of Shinji. He waved nonchalantly and gave her a toothy grin. Namika laughed before closing the distance between them. "How long were you watching?" She asked placing her zanpakuto back at her side._

" _Not too long; but your partner is right. You are getting better."_

" _You think?"_

" _Would I lie to you?"_

 _She raised a questioning eyebrow in his direction. He wondered what was going on inside her mind, because in that moment all he wanted to do was tell her exactly how he felt about her. "I suppose you wouldn't...too much has happened between us…"_

 _The words she spoke got his heart racing. Namika reached for his hand and the second her skin made contact with his, her name was called from up on the hillside. Her brother, Kaien, waved for her to come forward. Hearing her sigh, he pulled his hand away from her touch. "Go on, you are needed." He urged taking a step back._

" _He always seems to have the worst timing." She grumbled before walking up the hill in her brother's direction._

 _Shinji just waited for her to return; but watching her facial expression told him a story that he didn't like. She curled her bottom lip in under her top one, which was a habit he had noticed happened when she was nervous about something and suddenly, he wanted to be able to hear the conversation._

 _Kaien placed a hand on his sister's shoulder before walking away. Namika stood clenching her fists at her side, lowering her head. Shinji flash-stepped to appear right in front of her. "What's wrong?" He asked lifting her head up with a single finger under her chin._

" _They want me to go on this new mission tonight. Kaien says that Captain Ukitake thinks I'm ready to handle such a task now."_

" _He's right. Don't be nervous about it. You knew that this would happen eventually. The progress you've made is amazing."_

 _She shifted her eyes away from his gaze. He was surprised by her actions and couldn't think of anything else reassuring to tell her, so he pulled her into his arms and held onto her. Namika rested her head against his chest before wrapping her arms around his torso. "What aren't you telling me?" He asked softly, feeling Kaien's piercing gaze at his back._

" _This a big time mission. Captain Ukitake is leading the group himself. I guess...I'm a little scared." She admitted._

 _He chuckled lightly and took a step back to look right at her face. "There is nothing wrong with being a little afraid. If someone tells you that they fear nothing, it's a lie." He told her cupping her check._

" _It's time to go, Mika!" Kaien shouted._

" _Thank you Shinji...for everything…" She said stepping out around him to proceed in the direction of her brother._

 _He turned around to watch her walk away only to see her stop mid-step. Kaien looked on confused from the outside terrace of the Squad Thirteen Office. Namika turned back around to face Shinji for a second before rushing back at him. Her lips pressed against his desperately. Those few seconds solidified what both of them meant to each other._

Shinji blinked his eyes several times, realizing that he was in present time and she was not there with him. He never expected her to come back that night so near death. The regret dug at him. So many times he wished that he had just told her the truth; but he had been afraid to, just like she had been right before she left. "I'm so sorry, Namika…" He whispered to himself.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thanks goes to GhostlySpirits, Forgetful Insanity and berganja for becoming followers to this story. Here is the third installment, hope you enjoy it and let me know what you think.**

Chapter 3:

Revelation

When Shinji returned to the small house it was quiet. The others weren't even close to the place, which meant they had gone home. His mind was focused on one thing and that was Namika Shiba. There were far too many questions swirling inside his head to think straight; but the second he stepped inside, Kisuke met him right at the entrance way.

"Step back outside with me…" He stated softly.

"This better be about Namika." Shinji countered putting a hand inside the pocket of his pants.

Kisuke slid the door shut behind them and looked up at the full moon in the sky. Shinji looked at him out of the corner of his eyes, there was concern written all over him. It made him think that there was something wrong with Namika. "Kaien is dead…" He finally spoke.

"How?"

"I don't know for sure. The word came to me from Kūkaku. I'm sure Namika knows the reason; but she's not in the best shape to be talking about anything just yet."

Shinji clenched his hands at his sides. After being declared an abomination, thanks to Sosuke Aizen's experiments, he forced himself to think that the Soul Society was the enemy just as much as the hollows were; but things just weren't black and white anymore. Not when it came to her. Hollows had taken much for her and he hated being so helpless to make things right. "Why is she here, Kisuke?" He finally asked.

"If I had to guess, I'd say it had a lot to do with Kaien's death and the fact that she awoke from her coma with a year's worth of memories gone."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm saying she doesn't remember anything after her graduation, which would include your relationship with her."

The disappointment consumed him; but at the same time he felt that maybe it was better that way. He wasn't the same person he was back then. Years in exile would change anyone, with the exception of Kisuke. "It's probably better that way…" Shinji stated and stepped down off the porch.

The door slid open, alerting Kisuke and Shinji to another presence. Namika stood in the doorway, her long auburn hair was swept to the side over her right shoulder. The bright blue of her eyes came in contact with Shinji's amber ones almost instantly. "Captain Hirako…" She whispered softly.

"I'm no longer a Captain…" He snorted in an annoyed tone, despite trying not give off the bitterness in her direction.

"I'm...I'm sorry...I was told that you were dead. After seeing Kisuke alive, I guess I shouldn't be surprised to see that you are alive as well."

Namika narrowed her eyes a little. Seeing Shinji standing there, she felt like he somehow was someone important to her. Not remembering a year's worth of events bothered her and she struggled to make sense of things inside the void.

He turned away from her, realizing that what Kisuke had said was the truth. She no longer

remembered their closeness. The reality that he was going to just have to let her go came crashing down around him.

"Thanks to Kisuke...I am alive...listen to him...he will help you." Shinji said before disappearing from the spot he stood.

Kisuke turned to look at his newest guest. She looked defeated, like she had done something wrong. He gave a small smile to reassure her that things were perfectly okay. Closing her eyes, a suddenly flash of Shinji Hirako passed by her eyes. They had stood together at the top of the hillside right above the Squad Thirteen training grounds. She wondered what that had been about. Was there more to Shinji that she remembered?

"Namika."

She turned around to follow him back inside the building. There was something about that flash that just dug at her. It was times like that she really wanted her memories back. Tessai offered her a hot cup of tea the second she walked into the room she had fallen asleep in earlier. Her fingers took the handle of the cup. The hot liquid soothed the ache in her chest that she couldn't describe.

Kisuke sat down next to her, crossing his legs under his body. "What happened, Namika...to Kaien?" He asked bluntly.

"Before I answer that...will you tell me why I feel there is something important about the former Captain, Shinji Hirako?"

"That is a difficult thing to explain, especially when you have no memory of him."

Her eyes widened a little. His words were just the proof she needed to know that he had been someone important to her during that year of lost memories. The way his amber eyes lingered on her was like a silent caress that she wanted to explore; but knew she couldn't. "I was left behind, due to something else Captain Ukitake wanted me to do. Kaien was emotion filled with the loss of his wife and I honestly didn't blame him for wanting revenge."

Kisuke sat still waiting for her to continue her story. He could see the pain clear as day in her eyes. She mindlessly tucked a portion of her hair behind her ear and continued to take a sip from her teacup. "Still relatively new, Rukia Kuchiki had accompanied the Captain instead of me. The hollow had embedded itself inside Kaien's body and took complete control over his mind, attacking the Captain and Rukia herself. There was no other choice than to mercifully end the suffering. Rukia did what had to be done, though I know she will take that guilt with her for the rest of her existence."

"Your sister sent me the word that he died; but I didn't know how."

Namika froze that mention of her sister. She remembered the look on her face when she had arrived to bury her brother. Both she and Ganju were cold, obviously blaming her for the way things went down. From then on, she heard nothing from them. She was an outsider and a nobody in the Seireitei.

Kisuke studied her facial expression and realized that there was problems in the Shiba family. Perhaps that was one reason she fled the Soul Society. Tessai re-entered the room with another tray of items. "Her gigai is ready." He announced.

"That's wonderful. I took the liberty to get you a gigai. I figured you were in no hurry to return."

"Thank you, I appreciate it."

She stood up and proceeded to walk towards the human looking body lying on the floor next to where Tessai stood. She knelt down and touched the chest. Within seconds, her spirit form had fallen into the artificial body. Standing up, she looked at the clothing that clung to her new body. "From what I'm told, those clothes are popular right now." Kisuke stated, seeing the confused look upon her face.

"Thank you...for everything…"

 **XxXxXxXxXxXx**

Jūshirō opened his eyes to the sound of knocking on the office door. He had fallen asleep doing paperwork for the second time in the same week. It's been two weeks since he let Namika leave the Soul Society and enter The World of the Living. Not a single word had come in his direction about her actions there, which meant she was doing nothing bad. At least that was something, he supposed. "Come in." He expressed, cleaning a spot off the center of his desk.

The door slid open and Rukia stood there with a solemn expression on her face. Her ebony colored hair fell into her violet eyes. He could clearly see that there was something on her mind. "What's wrong, Rukia?" He asked tenderly, giving her his full attention.

"I'm worried about Namika, sir." She answered taking a step inside the office.

"I believe she is fine. There is no report of her doing anything wrong."

"Still...I can't imagine how she was feeling when she left…"

Jūshirō stood up and walked around his desk so he could stand in front of her. He reached down to place a hand on her shoulder. There was genuine smile on his face that lightened the sadness hanging in the room. "I worry for her to; but she is strong and will no doubt come back stronger than ever."

"I hope you are right. I want to be to apologize."

He understood her need to apologize, despite the fact there was nothing to apologize for. Kaien knew his responsibilities as a Soul Reaper as well as anyone. He wasn't going to deny that it had been far too quiet without him and without Namika around. He also counted on them to make his day so much better. Their close sibling relationship brought a smile to his face and a certain light that he would be eternity grateful for.

 **XxXxXxXxXxXx**

Namika watched the sunrise for the fifth time that week. The sound of the birds chirping was comforting and even getting used to the sound of vehicles driving across the highways was comforting in its own way. Kisuke had been working with her in attempts to unlock the memories she had lost. So far, it has been an utter failure. Her mind remained dormant just as before; but she remained hopeful.

Stepping down off the porch, she took steps out onto the gravel. It was time to go for her morning run. Running kept her mind clear and focused on what was to come down the line of time. Everyday for the last two weeks, she's been hoping to see Shinji again and every time she was disappointed without an appearance.

Just as she crossed into the main part of the city of Karakura, there was a sudden explosion in a building. People screamed and scattered out of the way just as the debris was crumbling down on the streets. Namika looked up to see a familiar creature that no one seemed to see, which made sense, they were humans after all and very few could see spirits. "A hollow...here…" She muttered to herself.

She quickly cut down an alley and swallowed a soul candy that would detach herself from the gigai. The soul now inhabiting her gigai hid behind the dumpster, cowering in fear. Rolling her eyes, Namika rushed out into the chaotic throb of scared people. She searched for the source of what the hollow wanted. A female soul ran desperately away from the damaged building. The hollow followed suit in an angry cry of hunger.

Namika shifted her body to stop the soul from running any further. She needed to perform a konsō on her before the hollow consumed her and she'd be lost forever. The girl's eyes were desperate and full of fear. "Please help me." She called coming closer.

"Oh, a soul reaper." The hollow spoke, far too eager for the better meal.

"Stay over there, I'll keep you safe." Namika told the soul, ignoring the fact the hollow wanted her instead.

Saliva dripped from the creatures jaw, just as it lunged at Namika. Quickly unsheathing her zanpakuto from her side, she crossed her arms over her chest to defend herself from the hollow's charge. Narrowing her eyes, she pushed back on the pressure. Rolling out of the way, she pushed herself back up onto her feet with her hand.

Namika could hear the sobs coming from the scared soul huddled behind a garbage can. Tossing her hair over her shoulder, she moved her zanpakuto to the center of her chest. "Pour, Kuroi ryū!"

Knowing that she hadn't released her zanpakuto in quite some time, she knew that there was going to be some hostility between them; but she felt nothing of the sort, which made her want to smile. The traditional blade transformed into that of a javelin with water cycloning around the point of the blade. A trident was engraved in the center of the metal she held onto. A smile tugged at her lips, knowing that hadn't been there before. _"Thank you, Kuroi ryū."_ She mentally told her zanpakuto.

"Ready to die, Soul Reaper?"

"It's you that will perish."

Namika leapt up into the air and aimed the point of her weapon in the direction of the hollow. Her strike was blocked by claws. Claws that were strangely familiar. The scar on her chest burned, reminding her of the near death impalement from claws. Pulling back a little on her zanpakuto, she shifted her body a little to hit the hollow with bottom end of the javelin. It knocked the hollow back several feet.

Energy surrounded her, forming a ball of water that circled rapidly like a vortex. "Kurimuzon taido!" She called and released the energy at her enemy. The vortex trapped the creature in the depths until there was nothing left. Landing back down to the ground on her feet, she turned to see the soul creeping out from behind the garbage can.

"You are safe now." Namika encouraged.

"Who...are you?"

"I'm a soul reaper and I'm here to send you on to where you belong."

Namika's zanpakuto returned to it's katana state. She placed the hilt against the girl's forehead. The girl began to glow and pass on from the living world to that of the Soul Society. Protecting that girl reminding Namika of why she became a Soul Reaper in the first place. After returning to her gigai, she figured it was time to get back to Kisuke before he started to think she ran out on him.

Turning back down the alley, a familiar face was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. Shinji Hirako stood before her blocking her from leaving. "You've improved." He commented with a slightly toothy grin.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: A special thanks goes to Cutefrog for the wonderful review and luckyknight13 for becoming a follower to this story. I know, another chapter already; but the ideas keep flowing and why not just post them as soon as they come. Onto number four, let me know what you think!**

Chapter 4:

Tela Vuota

Shinji was still taken aback by her beauty. Auburn curls that were pulled up into a high ponytail and the purest blue eyes that he always seemed to get lost in. It was hard to think about the fact that she didn't remember what they had before her near death injury. Of course, then there was the fact that he had been suckered into a trap by his then Lieutenant, Sōsuke Aizen. Now he and seven others were trapped in between hollow and soul reaper. Not quite a hollow and not quite a soul reaper either; but had powers of both entities.

"How long have you been there?" She asked, not realizing that she had started a conversation with him the same way once upon a time.

"Long enough to see that you've definitely improved since the last time I saw you in action."

A subtle pink tinted her cheeks, just like it had the first time he complimented her. That thought alone brought a bigger smile to his face. Namika turned her head to the side slightly, obviously confused as to why he was smiling at her. Pushing himself from the wall, he turned to really face her fully. "So we've actually met before two weeks ago?" She asked softly, trying to avoid eye contact.

"Yes, we have."

"I wish I could remember…"

Namika was frustrated. The fact that she couldn't remember ever meeting him in the Soul Society was annoying. It made her feel alone. There could be other people that knew her and she'd never know it because of the memory lapse. **_"Calm down, it will be okay. One day at a time, remember."_ **Kuroi ryū told her mentally.

Shinji took a couple steps closer, being cautious as to not scare her off; but the urge to just be near her was overwhelming. It's been close to a hundred years since he's laid eyes on her. He thought that he never would again, considering all he's been through over the last century. The hollow inside laughed at his emotions, taunting him with something that meant so much to him while he was a Captain in the Soul Society.

"It'll be fine. The memories will come back when they are ready to. You were so close to death that night...it's no surprise that there were some lingering complications when you awoke."

"Do you know what happened to me? All I know is that a hollow impaled me with a set of claws, leaving a scar on my chest; but I can't remember how it happened…"

"I wasn't there; but I was when they brought you to Retsu."

She studied his reaction to his answer to her question. There was pain behind his amber colored eyes. Was the flash of them standing on the hillside outside the training grounds of Squad Thirteen a real event? Had there been something between them? Why was her heart pounding so hard when he step closer to her? "How much of my life do you know?" She asked unconsciously taking a set back.

"Why did you really leave the Soul Society?" He countered with a question of his own.

"My brother is dead. I want revenge. I heard rumors that Kisuke was still alive and located here, so I fled with the hope he'd be able to train me to get stronger. There is something out there that is stronger than regular hollows...I can feel it. I'm pretty sure one of those things killed my brother." She answered clenching her hands into fists at her sides, refusing to look Shinji in the eyes while doing so.

"You're right...there are...but that is a story for another time."

Namika looked up from the ground to see Shinji walking towards her. He placed a hand on her shoulder in passing. "Keep your head up, Mika. Someday you will find all the answers you're looking for." He said and then kept right on walking. She remained frozen after hearing the nickname that Kaien had given her when they were kids.

Another flash appeared before her eyes, this time is was much longer. Like a memory of sorts; but it was still kind of hazy. When she finally turned around, he was gone. Stepping out into barren sidewalk, she started her run back to Kisuke's home. Hearing the name 'Mika' proved that he did know her and it was a breakthrough to something better. She wanted to remember everything she lost, no matter how bad or how good it had been.

 **XxXxXxXxXxXx**

Shinji returned to the abandoned warehouse he called home with the rest of the victims of Sōsuke's experiment. Hyori was sitting alone, watching the others interact with each other. She was somewhat of the lookout and protector of the group. The one that was hesitant to trust anyone, including the ones that went through the same pain as she did.

"Where the hell have you been?" She asked alerting the others to his presence.

"None of your business." He quickly stated walking passed her to walk up the makeshift stairs to a room he called his own.

"Went to see the girl, didn't ya?" Kensei accused, his short silver hair came into view from the kitchen.

"Shinji, why torment yourself like this?" Lisa asked looking up from her swimsuit catalog.

It was the same every time he went to see her. There wasn't a day that didn't go by that he hasn't looked in on her. When he saw her sleeping on the floor at Kisuke's that day two weeks ago, he knew that he wasn't going to be able to let her go. None of them understood. He ignored their comments and continued up the stairs.

"What is up with that? He was fine up until that girl showed up." Hiyori asked.

"You don't remember? They were really close back in the day, until she came back from a mission near death." Love started to explain, sitting his comic book down to look at the smaller woman.

"Then she fell into a coma and then of course, we went through what we did." Rose finished pushing blonde hair out of his eyes.

Hiyori shut up, realizing that she had forgotten everything from the past between them. In her own way, she felt bad for him. After so many years, he thought that she was gone from his life forever and now she's right there in front of him again; but this time, she doesn't remember him at all.

Upstairs, Shinji stood in front of a cracked mirror. His long blonde hair had been the last reminder of who he had been. Using the blade of his zanpakuto, he severed the strands. He tossed them into a bag and then looked back into the mirror. His hair was now to his chin in length. It was a start to something new.

 **XxXxXxXxXxXx**

Namika stepped out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her head. It felt good to take a hot bath after the day she had. Kisuke was busy working on something she didn't understand and Tessai was busy cleaning up the kitchen. She mindlessly walked into the room they had offered her to stay in.

Collapsing onto the bed, she stared at the ceiling in the dark. Her mind went back to her meeting with Shinji earlier on. Of course, thinking about him got her heart pounding again. She reached her hand up to touch her chest, right where the scar was. "Please let me remember something…" She whispered.

She forced herself to think back on the hazy flashes from earlier and held onto them tightly. After feeling a sudden snap, her vision became clear. Closing her eyes, she relieved something that she had forgotten so long ago.

" _Do mind taking these to Squad Five for me?" Captain Ukitake asked._

" _No, of course not, sir." Namika answered with a smile on her face._

 _He handed her the small stack of papers and sent her on her way. She walked out of the office to a beautiful warm day. The koi fish were swimming elegantly in the pond under the office. Sometimes, she just liked to watch them swim. It took a couple hours just to get to the barracks of Squad Five and another twenty minutes to get to the office the papers were supposed to go._

 _Kneeling in front of the office door, she knocked. In a matter of seconds, a young man answered the door. He wore the lieutenant armband around his arm. The dark of his hair matched those of his eyes. He had a gentle smile about him that gave a chill down her spine. "What can I do for you?" He asked softly._

" _I brought these from Captain Ukitake. They are for Captain Hirako."_

" _He's right inside. Have a good day, Miss Shiba."_

 _It surprised her to see that he knew who she was; but then again, he could have seen the crest tattoo on the inside of her left wrist. He stepped out around her, leaving her to walk alone to where the Captain was located. Quietly, she started her short journey inside._

 _Namika could see blonde hair from the top of a large stack of papers. She cleared her throat to get his attention. A hand moved the stack aside to see what had made the noise. His amber eyes connected with her blue ones. She swallowed the lump in her throat before trying to speak._

" _Namika Shiba, Squad Thirteen, I have brought papers from Captain Ukitake." She announced._

" _Shiba huh?" He said standing up from his chair and proceeded to walk around his next to stand before her._

" _Y..yes sir…"_

 _He could see the nerves all over her, that much was certain; but it was different than it had been standing before his lieutenant. Sure, she was nervous standing in the presence of a Captain that wasn't hers; but he just seemed different than she envisioned. "So you are the youngest in the family, correct?"_

" _Yes."_

" _Hmmm...I'd have to say the best looking of group."_

 _The compliment burned her skin right at her cheeks, tinting them a soft pink. He reached to picked the papers out of her hands. Turning them over, he scanned the contents briefly. With a smile, he turned around to place them on his desk before returning to look at his guest. "You tell Jushiro I said thank you."_

" _Of course, have a good day sir."_

" _Same to you, Namika."_

 _The way he said her name sent a pleasant shiver up her arms, leaving them in gooseflesh. She knew from then on, she wasn't going to be able to get him out of her head no matter what she did._

Opening her eyes, tears rolled down her face to rest on the pillow under her head. She hated feeling so helpless and alone; but that's exactly how she felt in that moment. She desperately wanted to remember everything and feel as happy as she had in that memory. _"One day at a time. We will get there together."_ Kuroi ryū assured.

" _Thank you…"_ She replied.

" _There is no need to thank me. I am a part of you."_

Smiling, she rolled over to eventually fall asleep. It wasn't without thoughts of Shinji and her brother. She vowed to avenge him; but would have to get much stronger if she wanted succeed in that venture.

Kisuke peaked into the darkened room to see that she was already asleep. He smiled to himself before walking back to his work. He knew there was more to the story she had told him initially about Kaien's death, so when she returned from her run begging for him to train her, it didn't come as a surprise to him.

"Are you going to do it?" Tessai asked bringing a cup of tea with him.

"There is no reason for me not to. The girl wants revenge and I honest can't blame her. I think we all do when it come to Aizen."

 **End Note: Tela Vuota means Empty Canvas**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I'm having lots of fun writing this for all of you lovely readers. Onto number five, let me know what you think.**

 **A special thanks goes to: BookKeeper88 and Panda Mood for becoming followers to this story.**

 **Another special thanks goes to: Cutefrog for the wonderful review.**

Chapter 5:

Relapse

Days into Namika's training, Kiskue awoke to a suffocating feeling across his throat. He could sense that the energy surrounding the feeling was that of Namika. He fled his own room to enter her's. The sight of her gigai on the floor and Namika's spirit form tossing and turning in bed was troublesome. The dream or rather nightmare was affecting her spiritual pressure in an uncontrollable manner.

He moved cautiously further into the room, in attempts to shake her awake. Her hands were clenched around the blanket that was on her body. "No! Kaien!" She called in her sleep. It made sense to him for her to be dreaming of her brother's tragic death, considering how close they seem to have been.

"Namika!" Kisuke called touching her spiritual body on the shoulder.

 _Namika could see darkness as far as the eye could see. Kaien's voice echoed, calling for help; but she couldn't seem to get any closer no matter how far she'd run. His bloodied body was the next image she could see as Rukia had brought it back to her sister Kūkaku and her younger brother Ganju._

" _No!" She screamed, not believing it was real._

 _Rukia was gone before she could even form another coherent thought. Tears rolled down her cheeks at the sight of his closed eyes and gaping wound through the chest. She hated herself for not being there for him. She hated that he had left her alone. Collapsing to her knees, she leaned down to hug his lifeless body._

" _Damn Soul Reapers!" Kūkaku stated pulling a crying Ganju away from the scene._

 _Namika knew that her older sister had little regard for Soul Reapers and that included her own flesh and blood. She had been against Kaien joining the Academy and against when Namika had joined; but both did so, because they felt it was the right thing to do. "Why...why didn't you take me with you?" She asked in sobs._

" _Namika!" Another voice called out to her._

"Namika! Wake up!" The same voice called again. Her eyes opened to see Kisuke hovering over her spirit body. The room was wet with residue, that came with her zanpakuto's power to manipulate water. She could see her gigai laying on the floor in a crumpled pile of flesh. "I'm sorry." She apologized, sitting up in the bed.

"Don't worry about that. Are you okay?" He asked lifting the gigai up so Namika could re-enter it.

"It was just a bad dream."

Once Namika entered the gigai, she turned to see Kisuke's concerned face again. He was studying her. Shying away from his gaze, she turned to see the sun slowing rising across the city. It was her que to get out of bed and she did exactly that. "I'm going to go for a run to clear my head."

Kisuke knew there was little he could say to fix the problems deep within her. All he could do was do what she asked and hope it was enough to get her through. He also knew that eventually the Soul Society would be looking for her. She was a ranked officer within the Thirteenth Squad. He seriously doubted that would go unnoticed for too much longer.

 **XxXxXxXxXxXx**

Namika ran and ran some more until her chest hurt. Standing at the top of a hillside looking down at the river below, she collapsed onto the ground. She hated being reminded of her brother's death through her dreams. She hated knowing that she really was alone. Kūkaku and Ganju both couldn't stand her, because she was a Soul Reaper and shared the same squad with the woman who mercifully killed Kaien.

"I'm sorry, brother…" She said aloud.

Getting back to her feet, she continued on her run. She had no idea where she was going; but couldn't stop to think about it. Running was pretty much the only thing she was good at nowadays. She stopped to stare at the clouds that were rolling across the sky quickly. The warm breeze filtered through her long curls, moving them across her back.

She got a feeling like there was someone watching her. A smile tugged her lips when she realized just who's spiritual pressure was licking across her skin. "You know, watching me is kind of creepy." She stated turning around to see the former Captain of the Fifth Squad, Shinji Hirako, step out from behind a tree.

The amber of his eyes were soft and gentle and to her, they were comforting. The raging emotions that were surging inside no more than an hour ago were gone, all from one simple glance from him. She didn't understand why that happened, especially when she really didn't remember much of him. Though, she did notice the lack of hair he now possessed.

"I wasn't watching, just passing by." He answered with a shrug of his shoulders.

Who was he kidding? Of course, he was watching her. That had become an everyday occurance, ever since they met face to face in that alley. The shorter locks of blonde hair flowed across his face in the warm breeze. The look on her face was simply breathtaking to look at and sometimes he hated it, because it affected him more than he'd like to admit.

Namika turned away from him, hiding the burning in her cheeks. The memory she seemed to have remembered came to mind. "I felt your spiritual pressure this morning." He commented, obviously trying to break the awkward silence between them.

"It was a nightmare. I haven't had complete control over my emotions lately. My dreams torture me with Kaien's death pretty frequently." She answered, the burning in her cheeks faded upon thinking of the memory.

"Understandable; but I will say for the city's sake, you should probably try to control that. That kind of power will only draw unwanted attention."

She knew that he was right. That excursion of power would attract hollows and alert the Soul Society to her whereabouts, which was something she did not want. Letting out a soft sigh, she turned back around to face him. "I remember how we met. It came back to me…"

"Oh really? Enlighten me on how that happened?"

Boldly, Namika took steps towards him. She could see that his eyes had widened a little in surprise by her actions. Reaching up with her hand, she placed two fingers at his temple. Shinji watched her close her eyes, "I'll just show you what I remember." She said manipulating her kido abilities to show him exactly what she had remembered about their first meeting.

Shinji watched the memory unfold inside his own mind. He watched the first of many memories they had shared together and it made him wonder if she would ever remember everything. Unconsciously, he reached up to take a hold of her hand that was placed at his temple. The feeling of her skin against his was still familiar, despite how much time has passed by without seeing each other.

She stared at him wide eyed. The friction between them was undeniable at this point now. An image of her in his arms appeared inside her head the moment his hand had grabbed hers. Years without a single image or reference to her lost memories and now she's had two in the last three weeks. It was him. He was a catalyst to her memories and she didn't understand why. "You should probably get back to Kisuke's." He suggested letting go of her hand in the process.

"I don't understand why after all these years my memories are starting to come back when I'm close to you."

"I doubt it has anything to do with me. It's probably just a coincidence."

Namika narrowed her eyes at him, frustrated that he was not taking what she said seriously. Clenching her hands tightly at her sides, she took several steps back away from him. "Fine, I get it. I'll figure it out by myself. I'm alone anyway, so I might as well get fucking used to it." She stated harshly before taking off in the opposite direction.

"If only you understood that I'm only trying to protect you." He said to himself before walking away.

 **XxXxXxXxXxXx**

Namika walked into the house, slamming the door behind her. Tessai stepped out around the corner from the kitchen, meeting the angry gaze of the woman they had taken in. The words escaped his mouth as she opened the secret floor door to the underground training area beneath the house.

Separating from her gigai, she sat down on the ground with her zanpakuto on her lap. It was time to stop caring about her lost memories and focus solely on getting revenge. She wanted to cleanse as many hollows as she possibly could in hopes that she'd finally get to the beast that had taken control of her brother's body. There was a doubt that it had been destroyed when Kaien was stabbed through the chest.

Closing her eyes, she fell into her inner world. The lush meadow surrounded her and the sound of the river on the other side calmed the rage boiling deep inside. Kuroi ryū pranced up to her with a smile. The black of her scales shimmered against the sunlight. "It's been a while, Namika." She said coming to sit down in front of her.

"I'm sorry. I should have done this a while ago."

"You've been distracted lately."

"Yeah...it won't happen again."

Kuroi ryū tapped her tail against the ground before spitting water into Namika's face. Dumbfounded, she wiped her face clean with the sleeve of her shihakushō. "What the hell was that for?"

"You are going to be distracted by him no matter what you say and you do care about your lost memories."

"It needs to stop. My mission means more than some memories I may never get back."

Kuroi ryū lowered her head, closing her eyes for a moment. She realized that her other half was deeply tortured by so many different things and it still surprised her that they could still hear each other after the emotional disturbances within Namika herself.

Namika opened her eyes to see the barren world that was hidden under the house of Kiskue Urahara. There was no one left that understood her and it pained her to admit that. Getting to her feet, she noticed that Kisuke was behind her.

"How long have you been there?" She asked softly.

"Just got here. Tessai mentioned how angry you were when you got back from your run."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to slam the door. He just gets under my skin and I don't understand why, not to mention he pretends like there is no coincidence that I've been having fragments of memories come back when he's nearby."

Kisuke knew exactly who she was talking without having to put too much thought into it; but the fact remained, there was a deep secret about Shinji Hirako that she didn't know. It wasn't his place to tell her about it, so his lips would remain shut; but the struggle he could see in her eyes. She desperately wanted to understand a past she had involuntarily forgotten.

 **XxXxXxXxXxXx**

Shinji returned to the place he now called home. Not a single words was exchanged upon his return, not that he would have acknowledged it anyway. The disappointment on Namika's face cut deep inside the part of him that was still human. He made his way to his room and collapsed onto his bed, facing the ceiling.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a silver chain with a dragon charm dangling from the bottom. He didn't know why he still held onto it after all these years. He seriously doubted that Namika would ever fully remember what they had in the past. It didn't matter, not now. Not when he had been turned into something unrecognizable. He truly was the monster now.

"Do you think he's okay?" Lisa's hushed voice came from outside his door.

"Why don't you just knock and find out?" Kensei's voice thundered not bothering if he was heard or not.

"Shut up, he will hear you…." Lisa retorted.

Groaning, he got up from the bed and walked in the direction of his door. Bolting to the side quickly as he opened the door, Lisa came crashing to the floor inside his room. Kensei stood with his arms crossed against the hallway wall. "What the hell are you doing, Lisa?" Shinji asked with an annoyed tone to his voice.

"Hiyori was concerned...so...I...uh came to check." Lisa said getting up from the floor.

"Don't put this on me. I could care less about what he does." Hiyori stated coming into view from the right side.

The smaller woman took Lisa by the arm and dragged her away from the doorway. Kensei was left in the center just staring aimlessly at his fellow abomination. "You need to let her go. None of what you're doing is healthy, not even for her. The woman you loved is gone. That girl is just an empty shell of who she used to be."

"Have you ever loved someone, Kensei?" Shinji asked, tucking the chain back inside his pocket.

"Don't be ridiculous, of course not."

The quickness of his answer was a sure indication that he was lying. He's never seen him with anyone; but the defensive tone to his voice was indeed his way of covering up his tracks. "Then you wouldn't understand how hard that truly is." Without another word, Shinji closed to door and returned to his bed, with nothing but the past to comfort him.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: A special thanks goes to Panda Mood for the wonderful review. I appreciate all the readers who've been taking time to read this. Onto the next chapter, let me know what you think.**

Chapter 6:

One For The Road (Part 1)

The sound of metal on metal echoed through the underground training area. Namika's eyes narrowed, watching the man before her intensely. She didn't want to admit that she had been drowning herself in training for the last week since her last encounter with Shinji; but she was. Even Kisuke knew that, though he never said a word to discourage her behavior.

He knew as well as anyone that the Soul Society wouldn't stay quiet forever. They would eventually send personnel in search of her, regardless if her Captain had allowed her to leave in the first place.

"Such intensity today...why?" He asked in such a subtle way.

Using her upper body, she sent enough energy out to sent him back a few feet. Sweat rolled down her face, dripping to the dry ground beneath her. She didn't want to think about anything else except getting stronger in that moment, everything else just hurt. "Can we just continue with the task at hand here, Kisuke?" She asked adjusting her grip on her zanpakutō.

"You can't run forever, Namika. You've been here a full month. Do you really think they won't come for you?"

"Let them come, I'm not going back. Not yet…"

Kisuke looked up from the shade of his hat to make eye contact with her. The pain swirled, a pain he could fully understand. He knew how close Kaien and her had been growing up; but he never expected that it had run that deep. It made him wonder about her history. Why had she been so shunned from the rest of her family? It made little sense to him to know that Kaien had been the only one who cared enough about her.

"I think we've done enough today."

"But…"

"No...go rest for now. I have something I need to check into."

Without an explanation, he left Namika alone in the hidden grounds. She let out a defeated sigh and sheathed her blade and returned to her gigai body. Storming out of the grounds herself, she moved to leave the house entirely.

 **XxXxXxXxXxXx**

"You wanted to see me, Head Captain?" Jūshirō Ukitake asked softly as he entered the private conference hall where they held all Captain's meetings.

The old man turned from the head of the large desk centered in the room. His long white beard came a little past his stomach while his eyes remained closed. Jūshirō knew it couldn't just be a coincidence that he was summoned on the exact day of Namika leaving one month prior.

The thought of her sent an uneasy feeling to his chest. Was there news of her? Was she okay? So many unknowns and possibilities that he wasn't sure which to think of first. "I'm aware that Namika Shiba left the Soul Society under your permission one month ago, is that correct?" He asked breaking the silence between them that had been hovering for only a few seconds.

"Yes…"

"Is there a reason she has not checked in since her departure?"

"I didn't exactly give her instruction before leaving. She was so devastated over Kaien's death, sir."

The older man became quiet once again. Jūshirō knew that there would some kind of consequences to not giving her instructions before allowing her to leave the Soul Society that night; but she hadn't been the only to have lost someone important. "It's time for her to return. Enough time has passed, she needs to return and fill the spot her brother had left behind."

"Sir! Are you saying that he want her to return as my new lieutenant?"

"Who better to fill the void within the squad than his own sister."

He was more than happy with the response from the Head Captain; but now it was the concern of getting her back, she may not even want to. Returning to the office, Rukia looked up from her spot of paper work to meet her Captain's conflicted gaze. "Sir, is something wrong?" She asked softly.

"I need you to do something important."

"Of course, what it is?"

"I need you to go to the World of the Living and bring Namika back."

Rukia's violet eyes widened upon hearing the request. She wondered if he really was indeed serious about tracking her down; but seeing the desperation upon his face, she realized that it was true.

 **XxXxXxXxXxXx**

Namika walked quietly under the moonlit streets of Kurakura thinking what it is she should be doing. Sitting down on her favorite hillside, she looked up at the moon. She knew that Kaien would be so disappointed in her to see her behaving in such a manner currently. Hiding in the living world was only going to cause a lot more problems in the long run, there just wasn't anywhere she belonged.

"Someone help!" A child voice yelled.

The sound of it alerted Namika instantly. The feeling of spiritual pressure was intense. She looked around several times before separating from her gigai body. Fully in her Soul Reaper form, she closed her eyes to attempts to locate the spirit in need to help.

It didn't take long to find the mass of negative energy coming from several blocks west of where she was currently located. Leaping in the air, she searched the sky for the hollow in question.

"That's odd, I just felt it a minute ago." She said to herself.

"Help!" Another call came from the alley across from where she was standing.

A small boy came running out, his soul chain severed and fear clear as day across his face. She reached for the child, pushing him behind her. Now it was a wait game to see what would be coming out to feed on the poor soul in her care.

A rumbling came from the ground beneath her. Pushing the child away, Namika was caught by the hollow from the ground. Blood seeped her black material of the left sleeve of her shihakusho uniform. "Damnit, it's so fast…" She mentally cursed.

"You smell wonderful Soul Reaper." The vile creature spat, licking it lips with its long black tongue.

Namika gringed at the burning pain in her left arm; but reached for her zanpakutō nonetheless. There was no way she was going to let the hollow in front of her devour the child soul she was protecting. Running in, she stepped to the right for a moment before turning her body around to aim her blade directly between the eyes.

The hollow spat out several large bubbles of green liquid that she tried to dodge. All but one missed her. The second the green liquid touched her body, the burning sensation of acid rushed over. Falling down from the air, she knelt down to the ground brushing the fluid off her shoulder. The hollow's laugh bellowed, taunting her.

"Poor little Soul Reaper, I feel your desire flowing off you like sweet aroma."

"Desire for what exactly? Severing your head from that disgusting body of yours?" Namika answered getting back to her feet.

"You want to die...the stench is all over you."

Though some of what he said might be true; however, she knew that she had much to do before something like a hollow would able to send her on a different path in life. Clenching the hilt of her blade, she moved it to the center of her body. "Pour, Kurori ryū." She stated, calling forth the spirit of her weapon.

The traditional blade swirled with cyclones of water before transforming into a javelin with a large water cyclone surrounding the very top of the blade, the rest of the long weapon was made of metal that could be used to defend herself if necessary.

A cry of anger escaped her mouth as she quickly leapt at the hollow. He once again spat several bubbles of that same green fluid. None touched her as she was protected by barriers of water upon contact.

Slicing down, she severed the left arm of the hollow before stepping back down on the ground. Crimson fluid oozed from the point of the severing. The hollow howled in pain after losing the limb. The howl was more than just a cry of pain. In a matter of seconds two more hollows appeared, obviously answering a call for backup.

Narrowing her eyes, she knew that she was outnumbered now and with her left arm being injured there was no way she was going to be able to fight off all three; but she didn't have a choice. There wasn't anyone who would bail her out of trouble this time. Kaien was gone.

"Your desire to die is going to be granted." The first hollow chuckled.

Ignoring the creatures comment, she twirled her weapon in her hands several times before jumping up into the air to meet them all face to face. Gathering energy into the cyclone of water at the top of the javelin, when she had enough the ball separated into several vortexes. "Kurimuzon taido! (Crimson Tide)" I shouted, releasing the vortexes to do their job.

Each one, captured a hollow in it's violent waters. Shredded them into nothing. Dropping down the ground once more, the little boy came out of hiding. Kneeling before him, she eased his fear of passing on before performing the konso on him. Just as the the spirit passed on, another hollow howl could be heard just before appearing in the sky.

Her eyes searched the sky as more appeared. She didn't understand why there

were so many appearing all at once. It was like they were attracted to something. Concentrating on her own spiritual energy, the water cyclones reformed around her zanpakutō. "Kaien...I am so sorry. I've failed you as a sister and as a Soul Reaper." She said, taking a better hold on her weapon.

"Stop muttering such nonsense." A familiar voice said from behind her.

A chill ran up her spine the second the voice entered her ear. Turning around

quickly, she met those all too familiar amber eyes. Shinji stood with his own zanpakutō resting against his shoulder. He took several steps closer to her. "There is nothing he would be ashamed of you for, remember that." He said before jumping up into the air, fighting his way through the horde of hollows.

"Shinji…" She whispered before following after him.

His movements were fluid, very precise. She shifted away from a set of claws coming in her direction before slicing the creature in half. Turning around, Shinji had already slain a good portion of the hollows that had appeared. She supposed that with him being a former Captain he would have a great deal of power. No, that wasn't it. It was something else, she could feel it.

Her comfort was short lived when she saw another appear behind him. He was distracted by two others. Instinct kicked in or at least that what she thought it was. She flash stepped to deflect the attack with her zanpakutō. He looked back at her and smiled.

Beating the hollows back was challenging enough and Namika had had enough of it. Slicing through yet another beast, she turned to look at Shinji who had just sliced through the very last one. He met her gaze with a coy smile before his expression turned to full terror.

Namika stood wide eyed, the burning sensation in her chest was overwhelming and kept her from screaming out in agony. Flashes of her life before her waking up from the coma came flooding back like a dramatic movie. Her life that included Shinji Hirako. Tears rolled down her cheeks uncontrollably.

The hollow pulled back its claws that were covered in her blood. She started to fall from the sky, dropping her zanpakutō from her hand. Shinji quickly chased after her, catching her in his arms. He could feel the warm fluid through his shirt. The image of her near lifeless body over a hundred years ago came immediately to mind. "Damnit, Mika look at me." He pleaded.

When she didn't answer, he looked back up at the hollow in the sky. Without warning it began to disintegrate, leaving a familiar face once the dust cleared. Kisuke had answered his mental plea of vengeance; but it didn't seem to matter looking at Namika in his arms covered in her own blood just she had once been when he lost her the first time.

"Come on, wake up….I am not going to loose you a second time. Do you hear me!" He pleaded loudly.

"We need to get her back to the Soul Society. Only Retsu will be able to heal something like that." Kisuke commented.

"No, I know someone else."

Picking up her sword in his free hand, he stood back up with Namika in his other arm. Without giving Kisuke an explanation, Shinji disappeared.

 **XxXxXxXxXxXx**

Hours after the hollow attack, Kisuke concentrated on research that was giving to him by Yoruichi Shihōin, a dear friend of his. He was determined to figure out why Namika had been so shut out from the rest of her family, besides that of her brother Kaien. There had to be a reason, he was sure of it.

Kisuke stood up abruptly from his research. There was uncertainty flowing through him; but he had triple checked the records before coming to terms that it was correct. Tessai peaked around the corner to see what the noise had been. When he saw the troubled look upon his friend's face, he knew there was something bothering him.

"Boss, is there something wrong?" Tessai asked.

"Now I understand why the Shiba Clan has shunned Namika her whole life."

"What do you mean?"

He stepped out from his workspace to face Tessai completely. Kisuke handed him the piece of paper that was in his hand. Hesitantly, Tessai took the item and glanced at the words on it. "Are you sure?"

"I triple checked it and Yoruichi assures me that it is accurate. Namika Shiba is a half-blood…"


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I'm pleased with how this story is progressing and the influx of viewership with it. This is kind of going to be a flashback chapter. A trip down memory lane so to speak. Onto the next chapter, let me know what you think.**

 **A special thanks goes to: Cutefrog, Panda Mood and thunderyoshi for the wonderful reviews.**

 **Another special thanks goes to: dreamwalkerlisa, 1, Linden-Furaito, Stawps, .15, thunderyoshi and pageesss for becoming followers to this story.**

Chapter 7:

One For The Road (Part 2)

A loud pounding came to the front door of Kisuke's shop in progress. Tessai moved from where the boss was seated at his workplace with new information about Namika's blood status within the Shiba Clan. Once he got to the door, he pulled it open to see a shorter woman with semi-long ebony hair with violet eyes that shimmered emotion.

"I am Rukia Kuchiki of Squad Thirteen, I need to speak with Kisuke Urahara." She demanded with a slight glare across her features.

"It's alright Tessai, she's welcome here." Kisuke stated walking into the walkway.

"Are you sure?" Tessai questioned, not fully understanding the reasoning behind his easy placed trust.

Kisuke placed a hand on the bigger man's shoulder before stepping outside to meet Rukia face to face. There was determination written in her eyes. He appreciated that from her, considering there were high expectations of her since she was adopted into the noble family of Kuchiki. "I assume you are here for Namika Shiba?" He asked tipping his stripped hat up a little to see her better.

"I've been ordered to bring her back to the Soul Society."

"I'm afraid you came too late. She's in critical condition and can't be moved."

"What do you mean?"

"There was a fight not long before you arrived. She was severely injured at the hands of multiple hollows."

Rukia knew better than anyone that Namika was a ticking time bomb. It was only a matter of time before the rage would catch up to her and she'd end up dead herself; but it ate away at her being, bringing the guilt she felt deep inside to the surface. Kaien had been her only family and he was killed because she was too stupid to try and find a different path to save him.

"Where is she now?" She asked softly.

"I have no idea. She vanished before I could get to her. I don't know if she's alive or dead."

He knew that he couldn't speak of Shinji and the others. There was too much risk to that. He only hoped that Shinji could save her life. Rukia turned to look at the sky, mentally searching for answers to her own questions. A single tear rolled down her cheek, dripping to the ground beneath her feet.

 **XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Shinji passed through the barrier around the abandoned warehouse he currently lived in with the others that had become abominations to the spiritual world. Namika's prone body was still against his blood soaked chest. He was determined to save her life, there was no way he was going to watch her die because he had been careless in the fight with the hollows earlier on.

"Shinji, what the hell happened out there?" Kensei asked coming into view.

"Where is Haichi?" He asked, ignoring the question from his comrade.

Kensei could see the unconscious woman in his arms, he immediately recognized her and knew something had happened that was serious. Closing his eyes, he pointing the direction of the person in question.

Without saying a word, Shinji moved in the direction Kensei had pointed to. It felt like he was reliving that moment a century ago. She had been so near death that night as well. He wondered how he was going to save her this time. He hadn't been there last time and it all happened so quickly this time.

"I'm so sorry, Namika…"

"Shinji, oh my...please lay her here." Haichi stated moving to make room for the injured woman.

Shinji did as he was directed to. Letting her out of his arms, left him feeling cold; but he knew that if he wanted her to survive then he would have to let her go. Her auburn hair lay sprawled out behind her head, disheveled. He reached to touch her cheek with a cupped hand. "What happened?" Kensei asked stepping into the room with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Hollows…" He answered without giving too much detail.

Hachi narrowed his eyes, concentrating on the task at hand. There was a significant amount of blood coming from the open wound in her chest. Shinji turned at the sound of her muffled voice, even Kensei perked at the sound. "Shin...ji…" She muttered tossing her head to the side, her eyes rolled from side to side under the closed lids.

"I need space to work, would you two step outside please." Haichi asked as nicely as he could.

Before Shinji could argue, Kensei pulled him out by the arm. He knew that his comrade would never leave her side without a fight. "What the hell?" He demanded, pulling his arm away from the taller man.

"Give him space. I have no doubt that he will succeed in healing her."

"You don't know that!"

Shinji grabbed Kensei's shirt collar and slammed him into the nearest wall. The anger and guilt consumed him, that much Kensei could tell just by looking at him. There was no other explanation to describe what he saw other than Shinji did blame himself for happened to her. "She's a Soul Reaper, Shinji. It's her job to fight against hollows, you know this. Why was this fight any different?"

"Because they just kept coming...she'd get rid of one and another would take its place. Something was luring them to her…"

Kensei's dark eyes widened a little upon hearing the facts. He had never heard of such an instance before in all his years of being a Soul Reaper and afterward. Shinji allowed his hands to let go of his friend's shirt collar and hang loosely at his sides. "Shinji, what the hell is going on." Hiyori's voice boomed from around the corner.

"Not now, Hiyori." Shinji answered walking away from the hallway.

Kensi took a step forward realizing that if Namika died this time there would be nothing left of Shinji. He had accepted that she was gone over a century ago; but now that he's seen her, talked to her, those emotions returned and there would be nothing to keep the hollow inside him at bay for long.

"Is it her in there?" Hiyori asked breaking the silence.

"Yeah…"

"Damnit, this is the last thing we need right now. It would have been better if she had died all those years ago, he at least accepted it then."

Not another word was spoken before they went their separate ways inside the warehouse. Inside the closed off room, Hachi worked diligently on the the open wound in Namika's chest. She thrashed her head from side to side, clenching her jaw tightly. The sweat rolled down her porcelain cheek that he had no doubt was mixed with her tears.

 **XxXxXxXxXxXx**

Shinji sat upon the rooftop, searching the sky for answers to his torrent emotions that swirled deep inside beckoning his hollow to take control of the vessel it inhabited. His mind went back to the moment he knew that Namika Shiba had clenched a spot in his heart.

" _Sir, do you really think patronizing Lieutenant Sarugaki is the way the Captain of Squad Five should behave?"_

" _Oh come off it, Sosuke." Shinji replied rolling his eyes._

" _Sir, I'm only trying to help."_

" _Ugh...I'm going for a walk. Hold down the fort while I'm gone."_

" _Of course…"_

 _Shinji found his lieutenant, Sosuke Aizen, to be a nag and someone he really didn't find enjoyable to be around. Stepping out of the office, the warm spring air filtered through his long locks of blonde hair. It was soothing if nothing else. He continued on his way through the maze-like pathways until he was out of the Squad Five barracks._

 _His favorite spot was a hillside that overlooked the entire Rukon District. Sometimes he'd forget that he had come from there just like most others. He hadn't been born a noble by any means._

 _Sitting down on the soft grass, he looked up at the clear blue sky and nothing but fluffy white clouds marked it. He thought back on all his choices since he became a Soul Reaper and the darkness he still believed was lurking in the shadows. Of course, there was a new face that haunted him. A woman, whom he had only met two weeks prior. Namika Shiba._

 _Fiery auburn hair with ocean blue eyes and a shy demeanor. He wondered how long she would remain that innocent. Innocence like that should be cherished, it's hard to see that with so much darkness in the world._

" _Your Lieutenant said I would find you here." A familiar voice commented, interrupting his thought process._

 _Shinji looked over his shoulder to see the woman he had been thinking about. Namika Shiba. She stood with a hand on her hip and her long hair was over her right shoulder in large wavy curls. Those ocean blue eyes connected with his amber ones fairly quickly. "What brings you to Squad Five?" He asked getting to his feet._

 _She smiled at him before taking a couple steps closer. Out of instinct, he took a step back. It had been quite a long time since a woman had caused any kind of reaction out of him. Other than Hiyori; but he just loved to torment her. Namika, on that other hand, was completely different._

" _I came to ask a favor…" She began before curling her bottom lip under her top one nervously._

" _Ha, you've met me once and now you want to ask a favor. You don't really know me, Namika."_

 _Namika narrowed her eyes at him, refusing to allow his laughter to push her away from the objective she came there for. Once he saw that she wasn't backing down, he figured that he better hear her out at least. "I'm a good judge of character, Captain Hirako. Under all that immature dick facade you put up, you are actually a decent person."_

" _My aren't you intuitive."_

" _You have no idea. I came here for a reason and I would like for you to hear me out."_

" _Alright, you've got my attention."_

 _Shinji slid his hands into the long sleeves of his Captain's haori across his chest, waiting patiently for whatever it was she wanted to tell him. She appeared to be more like her brother, Kaien, than her loud obnoxious sister, Kukaku. "I feel there is a darkness looming here in the Soul Society and I don't understand why I feel it; but it's there, haunting me. I've had dreams about this darkness ever since I came to this Squad two weeks ago."_

" _Have you told your brother or Captain about these feelings?"_

" _I've tried to; but they are always brushed off as just my inexperience showing through. Perhaps they are right; however, I've never been wrong about these feelings in the past."_

 _He never expected her to reveal that kind of information to him. He was not the only one who could feel a growing darkness that was rooted right inside his own squad. Sliding his hands out of his sleeves, he proceeded to take steps closer to her until he was only a few inches away. The wind blew warmth around them with urgency. "Why tell me this?" He asked hesitantly reaching his hand up to push her hair off her cheek._

" _Thought you needed to know."_

Shinji opened his eyes to see the sun was starting to rise. Namika's warning that day and her determination to get him to listen to her allowed his heart to cling to her, something that hadn't happened in a very long time. From that day forward, he couldn't shake her and it only progressed from there until everything was taken from them both in a blink of an eye.

"Shinji!" Kensei yelled.

The panic in his voice was a sure indication that something was wrong and then he felt it. Namika's conflicted energy. Something was indeed wrong. He climbed down from the roof and ran to the room he had left her in Haichi's care. He gasped the second he saw a familiar white fluid explode from her mouth, clinging to her face.

"No! What the hell happened? This isn't supposed to happen!" Shinji yelled.

The entire group had surrounded Namika in the center of the room, clearly going through what they had a century ago. None of them knew how or why it was happening; but knew that if they didn't get her to control it, they would have to kill her in order to save her from herself.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: I'm very pleased with how everything is turning out, so a big thanks goes to thunderyoshi and animefreak112097 for the wonderful reviews. Onto number eight, let me know what you think.**

Chapter 8:

Soul Searching

Kisuke sat up from a dead sleep, sweat rolling down from his face. There was something wrong, he could feel it. He knew there was a barrier erected around the warehouse Shinji and the others lived in; but he was sure that was where the feeling was coming from.

Tossing the blanket off him, he dressed quickly and left the house without saying a word to anyone. Rukia appeared before him with her arms crossed over her chest. Her eyes were narrowed and persistent. "Where are you going?" She asked.

"I don't have time to explain. I just need to go, now!" He shouted, flash stepping around her.

"Not without me you aren't!" Rukia shouted back, following him.

He knew that there was no arguing with her. He also knew that if Rukia was caught anywhere near that warehouse, Shinji and the others would lash out. Did he really have a choice? Keeping his head forward, he concentrated on the task at hand. Namika had come to him for help and once again, he had failed in that task.

 **XxXxxXxXXxXxXxXx**

Shinji's eyes quivered as his heart sunk. The vision of her covered in the familiar white hollow substance crushed the part of him that was still human. He didn't understand what happened. Clenching his hands at his sides into tight fists, the lids of his eyes closed as well. "I'm so sorry…" He whispered.

"Shinji...what happened out there...during that fight with those hollows?" Kensei asked hesitantly. He knew that he was going to have to be delicate with his wording, for fear of angering the former Captain of Squad Five.

"They weren't any different than any other run of the mill hollow; but they just kept coming. Dozens of them gunning straight for her without a reason other than to kill."

Haichi lifted Namika's prone body that was still oozing white from her mouth. The entire group followed him down into the underground training area that Kisuke had helped build for them. Shinji remembered that day like it was yesterday. The struggles they all had faced during the transition would never have been overcome without his help.

"Shinji, I know you're in there. Let me inside!" A voice shouted from the outside of the warehouse.

"Is that Kisuke's voice?" Lisa asked starting to walk down the stairs that would lead her to the training ground.

"Yeah… go on I'll be down in a minute."

The rest of the group slipped down the stairs and out of sight as Shinji turned towards the entrance. Placing a hand on the barrier, he created an opening that would last for a few seconds. Just long enough for Kisuke to slid inside. The man in question slid the door open with a frantic look upon his face. "Where is she?" He asked.

"Downstairs...and just who the hell is that behind you?" Shinji demanded.

"Pay her no attention. She's here only for Namika. She posing no threat." Kisuke responded, placing a hand on the center of Rukia's back.

Oddly enough, the woman looked familiar to Shinji. He had no idea where from, considering he hadn't been in the Soul Society for nearly a century. Shifting his gaze away from them, he lead them down the stairs to where a barrier had been erected around Namika's body. Kisuke immediately recognized the procedure. It had been his creation to help the others overcome the hollows inside themselves.

"My god…" Rukia whispered.

"She has no idea what's happening. Is there anything you can do to help her?" Shinji asked almost pleading with the man.

"I wish there was. Unfortunately, she's going to have to fight on her own…"

Rukia wanted to ask what was going on; but thought better of it. She had heard the rumors for years about Kisuke's past transgressions. Now she knew them to be true and the experiments were alive and well, hiding out in a dingy warehouse away from prying eyes. She couldn't fault Kisuke for trying help.

Namika cried out as she got to her feet, her face covered in white. Her once blue eyes were now bright yellow, like those of a hollow. The markings on the mask covering her face reminded Rukia of a dragon's face, which really didn't surprise her considering her zanpakutō's name meant 'black dragon'.

"How long does she have before she turns into a hollow?" Rukia asked softly to Kisuke.

"I'd say a little over an hour…"

Lisa stood up and proceeded to walk towards the barrier, in which a small opening appeared to grant her entrance. Namika readied herself into a stance no one had ever seen her use before. Rukia looked over to the man Kisuke called Shinji. She studied his face, realizing that there was real emotion radiating off him in the direction of Namika.

"You knew her...in the past…" She stated, watching him flinch at her words.

"I did...do yourself a favor...if you don't want to die... stay back."

He took steps to rejoin the group sitting outside the barrier. Rukia looked at Kisuke for a better answer than what she got; but he said nothing.

 **XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Namika awoke to the sight of her own inner world. Kurori ryū was nowhere to be seen; but still felt there was a set of eyes lingering upon her. Looking around, the trees were starting to dry up and wither away. The stream was quickly losing depth. Swiftly turning around in every direction, her world was turning into a barren wasteland with no life. Was she dead? Was this what happened when a Soul Reaper died?

"You aren't dead." A voice said, that sounded exactly like her own except with more of a hollow tone to it.

Once again, she turned around to see a version of herself that she never thought possible. There was no color to her, just black and white. She looked like a human hollow. Was that even possible? "Who are you? Where is Kurori ryū?" Namika asked, feeling alone without her zanpakutō.

"Oh, she's around; but I've taken over this place. Don't you like what it looks like now?"

"You've killed everything! No, I don't like it!"

She laughed full heartedly. Namika narrowed her eyes at the laugh and the lack of emotion that went with it. She wasn't going to let this thing take control of her inner world, nor was she going to let this imposter take control of her body. There were far too many things she still wanted to do.

Namkia watched at the black and white version of herself lifted her weapon up into viewing. Her eyes widened, because what she saw was none other than Kurori ryū in her exposed form. Frozen, there was nothing she could do to block the attack coming in her direction. The force of it knocked her into a nearby tree, severing the lifeless plant in half.

"Why do you think I'm here, Namika?" She asked coming closer to where she lay in the debris.

Getting back to her feet, she looked up at the black and white reflection staring back at her. In her mind, it all had to be some dream and she'd wake up from it soon; but in her heart, she knew that it wasn't. Confusion set in before closing her eyes, mentally pleading for Kurori ryū to come to her.

"You aren't fit to rule this world anymore."

 **XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Shinji watched as Love retreated from the barrier. It was now Hiyori's turn and then it would be his. Namika's body had almost fully transformed into a hollow that resembled a dragon. He knew that Kisuke was still present, watching the horror that was unfolding before him once again. It would be all confusion to the girl he had brought with him.

"You don't have much time left, Mika…" He whispered to himself.

Closing his eyes once again, another memory came flooding back to him. One that he held very close to his heart.

" _Captain Hirako, what are you doing here?" Namika asked softly, looking up from the desk she was currently sitting behind._

" _Brought Jūshirō the report he requested." He answered holding up a bundle of papers in his hand._

 _She smiled before stepping out around the desk to take the report from him. Her long auburn hair was pulled up into a high ponytail, clasped with a jeweled tie of a teal color. "You know, you could have sent any of your squad members to deliver this. Why did you come yourself? Is there something wrong?"_

 _Shinji smiled with a wide grin. She was intuitive like no one else he knew. It wasn't that long ago that she had come to him with concerns of her own that surrounded his squad and ever since then, she hasn't left his mind. "I'm not surprised that you figured that out fairly quickly." He answered, taking a step back._

" _So what going on?" She asked taking a step closer to him._

" _Yes, what is going on?" Kaien's voice asked interrupting from the other room._

 _Namika looked over at her older brother, who had his arms crossed over his chest. There was no humor on his face, just pure distrust. She then looked over at Shinji, who remained calm with an amused expression on his face. "I came to talk to you, Namika. Care for a walk?" He asked, not caring that her brother was still in the room watching them closely._

" _Sure. Kaien, would it be okay to take a little break?" She asked, turning her head to look directly at her brother._

" _Fifteen minutes, I'll come looking if you are any longer than that." He answered, walking towards the front door. He glared at Shinji in passing before leaving the office fully._

 _Shinji allowed Namika to exit first. They walked towards the courtyard that lay behind the barracks. It was a quiet place that Jūshirō had made specifically to remind him that there was still a lot of beauty still in the world. He could tell that she wanted to say something; but instead, she just fumbled with her hands in front of her uniform._

" _Is your brother always that protective of you?" He asked, breaking the silence between them._

" _Unfortunately, yes. I've never understood it though. He's not like this with our sister Kukaku at all."_

" _It's probably because you are so timid and still a little naive."_

 _He turned around to see her stop walking with her head lowered to stare at the grass. "Perhaps you're right. I am quite inexperienced in almost everything." She said lifting her head up to meet his gaze. It was then that he could see the sadness behind the blue of her eyes that he seemed to enjoy looking into._

" _That's not what I meant. I didn't meant to insult you."_

" _You didn't. I've known this for quite a while, it's just who I am."_

 _He chuckled low before smiling at her. It surprised her, that much he could see in her expression. She tilted her head to the side, confused as to what he was laughing at. He took steps to close the gap between them. "There is nothing wrong with that. It just means your brother looks after you more closely so people don't take advantage of your kindness."_

" _Captain Hirako, what did you really come here for?" She asked, staring right into his amber orbs._

" _That much should be obvious, Namika." He answered reaching out to tuck a stray chunk of her hair behind her ear before cupping the side of her face with his palm._

 _She closed her eyes, soaking in the warmth of his hand on her cheek. Reaching up unconsciously, she rested her own hand on top of his. The single gesture sent a gentle spark through his hand. "Whatever this is...between us...it will be greatly frowned upon…" Namika commented pulling his hand away from her cheek._

" _Times up, Mika!" Kaien shouted from the walkway._

 _She turned to look at her brother, curling her bottom lip inward. The warm breeze filtered through their hair, bringing several strains of Shinji's blonde hair to brush up against the skin of her arm. "Why me? There is nothing special about me at all…"_

" _You don't know how wrong you are. Everything about you is special. In just the few encounters we've had, I know enough to know that you are indeed someone unique. You are beautiful without ever trying to be…"_

" _Shinji...I…"_

 _He smiled again before walking away, leaving her alone with his words. Kaien glared in his direction once again in passing._

"You're up, Shinji!: Kensei shouted.

Shinji opened his eyes, the memory faded back to the depths of his mind. He stood up and walked towards the barrier with all eyes upon him as he slipped through to stand before Namika is all her hollow glory. He mentally pleaded with her to keep fighting, because he honestly didn't know if he could kill her to save her from herself.

"Come on, Mika. You can control this…"

Rukia watched in awe as Shinji circled Namika; but knew that he was hurting inside. The pain was obvious in his eyes and that's when she knew that Shinji and Namika had a close past, perhaps even lovers before the accident took her memories away. Being a hopeless romantic herself, deep down, she cheered for them to overcome this obstacle as well as any other that would be thrown in their path in the future.


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I don't normally post two chapters in one day; but I was on a roll and decided what that hell, lol. Let me know what you think.**

Chapter 9:

Failed Reunion

Namika stood firm, staring at her black and white twin dead in the eye. She could have sworn that she heard her name being called by a voice that make her heart pound against her chest. Shinji Hirako. How could she have forgotten him? The fact that her memories had returned the moment she had been impaled by hollow claws a second time, kind of seemed ironic; but she wasn't going to care about the circumstances. She was just happy that they came back and all the emotions along with them.

"Did you lose your voice along with the crown?"

Narrowing her eyes at the insult, she remembered the rumors that swirled around the Soul Society about Kisuke's reasoning for execution. Soul Reaper Hollow experiments. She wondered if those experiments actually happened and that was why Shinji and the others were in hiding. If that was the case, then maybe that was what was happening to her now.

It would explain the reason for a hollow version of herself claiming to have taken over her inner world. Clenching her hands into fists at her sides, her spiritual energy sparked to life. The lavender colored aura surrounded her, blending with a minty green color as well.

"I think I've figured out who you are?" She said taking steps out of the debris she had been previous been tossed into.

"Oh, is that so. Enlighten me, Namika Shiba."

"You are a hollow trying to take control of me. It was the same for all those former Captains and Lieutenants out there in hiding….and just like them...I am going to fight for control."

Her power coursed through her veins, bringing life back to the ground that was nothing but a desert. Reaching her hand out, she mentally called for the weapon in the hollow's hand. Kurori ryū appeared in her hand. She smiled upon feeling the smooth wood in her hand. The desire to bring her world back to its former glory was overwhelming.

Twirling her weapon in her hand, she lunged forward. The hollow swiftly moved out of the way just in the nick of time. Now that she was on the defensive, she didn't like it one bit. Namika stepped to the right quickly and then to the left, getting around her to plunge the blade straight into her back.

"I see...you fight for others. I suppose I'll allow you to keep the crowd for a while longer; but just remember, I'm always here and in a moment of weakness...I'll take control once more."

 **XxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Shinji slid back from the force of power Namika was radiating. Lifting his blade back up, he froze just to see the fully hollowed version of Namika cried out in agony. Haichi pulled him out of the barrier just in time before the explosion.

"Namika!" Rukia shouted rushing forward towards the barrier only for Kisuke to take a hold of her arm preventing her from going any further.

"Could you take her someplace else, Kisuke? This is no place for her to be." Shinji asked softly, not bothering to look at them in the eye.

"Of course, will you be alright with the outcome of this?"

"I have to be. Aizen will pay for what he's done regardless."

Rukia tried to open her mouth to speak; but a hand covered her mouth. She looked up to see Kisuke's glare. She swallowed the lump in her throat before agreeing to leave with him. Smoke swirled inside the barrier preventing her from seeing if Namika was alright or not.

Being forced up the stairs, was not something she expected out of Kisuke and she wanted to demand answers from him. Once they got outside the second barrier that let them back out into the city, Rukia couldn't remain quiet any longer.

"What the hell was the Kisuke? That is Namika in there and you made me just walk away from her!"

"She isn't going to be the same anymore. You might as well go back and tell your Captain that she is dead. She will never be able to go back there again, do you understand that?"

Wide eyed, Rukia froze upon hearing Kisuke's declaration. She forced herself to refocus on the task. "What does that mean? What happened all those years ago?" Rukia asked getting around him to stop him from walking away.

"Forget what you saw here, Rukia. You are safer that way, now go back to the Soul Society."

She knew that he was never going to give her the answers she wanted; but there was no way that could forget what she saw today either. The best advice he had given her was to tell her Captain that Namika was gone. It was the only way to keep the Soul Society from searching for her in the future.

 **XxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Shinji watched intently as the smoke started to clear away, revealing Namika standing with just the mask of the hollow that had overtaken her body. Her auburn locks flowed freely across her back as she reached up to remove the mask from her face. He smiled, seeing first hand just how powerful she had become inside.

Haichi took down the barrier around her, allowing her to walk freely among people she had not seen in over a century. Her blue eyes connecting with those of Lisa's first. Former Lieutenant of Squad Eight, the beauty that had been then still applied today. "It's good to see you again, Lisa. Oh how I've missed our late night chats." She said, bringing the taller woman into a tight embrace.

"Me to."

Walking down the line, she came to Rose and Love. Both really didn't have a relationship with her; but knew who she was. They gave her welcoming smiles before coming to Mashiro. The former lieutenant of Squad Nine could hardly hold onto her excitement before grabbing Namika into a tight hug of her own. "I've missed you, Namika. Those hollows took you away from us."

"I know, I'm sorry, I just...wanted to protect my brother…"

The thought of him brought back all the guilt and sorrow to her chest. Mashiro let go of Namika, understanding the emotions going through her friend in that moment. Hiyori and Kensei were the last two in line. Hiyori and her never really saw eye to eye on a lot of things, especially when it came to Shinji.

"Hey, half pint, good to see ya."

"Whatever…"

Hiyori turned away and retreated back up towards the stairs. Namika only smiled at the reaction. Kensei remained emotionless before a grin appeared on his face. His shortened hair and piercings on his eyebrow and ear only added to his charm.

Her eyes shifted to Shinji, who was standing a little further from the group. His torn shirt was an indication that he had been attacked by her. That thought didn't sit well with her at all. She proceeded to walk towards him while the others scattered and collectively went back upstairs. "Shinji…" She whispered.

"Don't apologize. I should be apologizing to you." He replied shoving his hands into the pockets of his pants.

"What could you possibly need to apologize to me for?"

Namika now stood only a few inches away from him. The sight of him brought back all the memories she thought she had lost forever. Their history was a reminder that hope may not be all lost to them.

Shinji couldn't find the words to expression how sorry he felt for what she had just gone through. "You never should of had to go through that alone. That will haunt me forever...seeing that pain, drawing my blade against you…"

"You did what you had to. I don't blame you for anything. I'm confused as to what actually happened to me; but I do have some kind of idea at least. I am sorry that I couldn't remember who you were when I came to the world of the living."

"Again...not your fault."

He closed his eyes and let a soft sigh escape his mouth. He thought he'd feel better about her memories coming back; but in reality, he felt guilty. She now harbored a hollow deep inside just like he did. That posed so many new questions for him. Had she been exposed to the same experiment he had all those years ago? Was this different or did Aizen know they were still alive and wanted to send a message?

Without another words spoken, he retreated back up the stairs. Namika stood alone in confusion. She wondered what was going through his head to make him pull away like that. It wasn't the reunion she had been hoping for in the least.

 **XxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Rukia solemnly left the gate to return to her squad. Her return was met with warmth; but deep down she didn't want any of it. She had a job to do and it wasn't something she wasn't too willing to do. Telling her Captain that Namika was dead felt wrong and there were so many 'what ifs'.

Racing through the different squads to make to her own in a timely manner, she remembered the look on Kisuke's face when he told her what to do. There was real emotion there; but mostly guilt. Had he really done what the rumors say he did? Was Namika really a hollow now?

"Rukia? Welcome back, did you find Namika?" Jūshirō asked the second she stepped into the office, out of breath from running so hard.

"Sir, I...I have some bad news."

He stood up from his chair at his desk. Rukia swallowed hard, trying her best to follow through with what was told to her. His green eyes pierced right through her, making her shake deep down. "Is she okay?" He asked again.

"I'm afraid that I arrived too late. She had been ambushed by several dozen hollows. She...didn't make it…"

Jushiro slumped back against the edge of his desk. The thought of losing Kaien was bad enough and now he had lost Namika as well. Maybe he was cursed as a Soul Reaper Captain. Too many deaths on his watch to even count. "Sir...I deeply apologize for not getting there in time." Rukia apologized before stepping out of the office to leave her Captain alone with the words she had spoken that were false.

 **XxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

"Any new information?" Tessai asked coming into the study.

Kisuke sat at his makeshift desk, scouring over information about Namika's bloodstatus. He looked up at his partner quickly, acknowledging his presence. " According to this, all Shiba children had the same father and all but Namika had the same mother. Her mother had been just a Rukon District woman, whom her father had a one time affair with. The woman died shortly after Namika was born, leaving the child to be raised by her father inside the Shiba Clan."

"I assume that didn't go over very well."

"From what I've heard, it did not. Namika was treated poorly with the exception of Kaien. He was old enough to understand that it didn't matter that they had different mothers. He was still her brother and vowed to protect her no matter what."

And now he had let him down as well. Namika had been asking for his help and now there was nothing he could do for her now. The hollow inside had been planted and it was up to her to fight for a life or die as a hollow.

Slamming his hand down upon the wood of the desk, he closed his eyes tightly. Tessai knelt down next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry, sir. She is strong willed and will survive just like the others did. Shinji is there as well. He would never give up on her."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: I'm thrilled with all the responses I've gotten for this story so far. I'm glad that you all are enjoying it as much as I am writing it for you. Onto number ten, let me know what you think.**

 **A special thanks goes to: animefreak112097, Erzatscarlett and thunderyoshi for the wonderful reviews.**

 **Another special thanks goes to: Erzatscarlett and AelitaOfTheWolves for becoming followers to this story.**

Chapter 10:

Inner Struggles

Shinji walked up the stairs, leaving Namika alone in the training grounds. His heart was pounding much too hard for him to think properly. He hated just walking away; but the fact that she said his name in such a warm inviting tone just brought back all those emotions he tried to bury for a century.

When he got into the main room of the warehouse, all sets of eyes were upon him. He could tell that they were just as confused as he was about the events that had taken place downstairs.

"Where is she?" Hiyori asked crossing her arms over her chest, unamused by the events that had transpired.

"I left her downstairs and I'm in no mood to speak to any of you either." He stated continuing to walk towards the exit of the building.

"Shinji! You can't just leave her down there! She has no idea what's going on!" Lisa yelled.

He stopped momentarily, then closed his eyes before swallowing the lump in his throat. He had no idea what to tell her. It was easier when she didn't remember him, because he could still continue to bury his feelings for her; but now that she remembered everything, he was confused. They couldn't just pick up right where they left off, could they?

Pushing the guilt down, he continued forward and out of the building completely. The mid-day sun was shining down upon him with a warm soft wind filtering through his blonde locks of hair. How was he going to look her in the eye again, after everything that happened?

Back inside, Lisa made her way down the stairs. Namika was sitting alone with her knees up against her chest. The soft sobs could be heard even at her distance away from her. It actually broke her heart to see her like that. The girl, no more than twenty feet from her, had lost so much in such a short amount of time.

"Namika…" Lisa called, cautiously getting closer to her.

The sound of her name made her lift her head up. She quickly wiped her eyes away of the tears before turning to look at an old friend. Lisa's long braid fell over her shoulder as she moved to sit down next to Namika. "I can't imagine what you're going through right now; but know that you can talk to me anytime."

"I appreciate that...I do...but somehow I thought getting my memories back would be a blessing...and now...it just feels like they are a curse…"

"Don't say that…"

"I don't know what to do now. There is so much I don't understand and now...he can't even look me in the eye."

Namika swiftly stood up, reaching for her gigai that had obviously been left there for her. She allowed herself to inhabit the makeshift body. Lisa stood up to stand beside her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Give him some time. He spent a century trying to bury his feelings for you, because he thought you were gone. He isn't the same person anymore. He's gone through some changes...hell, we all have."

"The blending of hollow and soul reaper…"

"Yes…"

Lisa didn't know how much to tell her. She figured that Shinji would want to be the one to explain it all to her; but he left without much of a word to them about what to do with Namika. Blinking away from her thoughts, she saw that the woman in question was now walking up the stairs herself.

Quickly following after, she wanted to keep her from making it up there; but it really didn't matter. Namika was just like them now, no matter what anyone else said. Once they got up the main level, the others turned in their direction with soft expressions.

"I apologize for all the trouble I caused." Namika stated before bee lining towards the exit.

"Where do you think you're going?" Hiyori asked stepping out in front of her.

"Leaving...I don't belong here. Shinji pretty much made that clear."

Hiyori's lips lifted in a half smile. The amusement was clear on her face. She always did think Shinji was a moron and he just now proved that she had been right all along. "Well...he's a complete dumbass. You've gone through a hard transition crossing into the realm of a hollow. You are just like the rest of us that had gone through that a hundred years ago."

"How did this happen?"

"Sosuke Aizen…" Kensei interrupted.

Namika's eyes went wide. She realized that maybe Kisuke had been innocent all along in those crimes. It made sense to her, considering she had felt a darkness looming within Shinji's squad all those years ago and could never figure out where it was coming from. The longer that name hovered in the air, the more guilt she felt for not realizing it sooner.

"I should have known…" She whispered, clenching her hands on the fabric of her pants.

"There was no way you could have prevented it, even had you awoken from your coma." Rose said, joining the conversation.

 **XxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Shinji stopped walking to stand on the bridge that covered the river in the center of the city. The water was rushing fairly quickly for that particular time of year. Leaning on the railing, he let out a sigh. His mind kept going back to the moment Namika broke free of the hollow that was inside and stood with just the mask over her face.

He never wanted her to see that part of himself and now she now had the same darkness dwelling inside. Was he to blame for the hollow or had Aizen carried out some side mission of his own?

"You deserved so much better than this…" He said aloud.

"Don't you think that maybe she should get a say in this to?" A voice said coming into vision of Kisuke leaning against the railing right next to him.

"Where's the girl you brought?"

"Gone back to the Soul Society. She's been instructed to make sure everyone thinks that Namika is dead."

Mentally cringing at the statement, Shinji realized that Namika had now just lost a lot more than just her brother. She lost her home, friends, and the rest of her family. All he had wanted for her was her safety and now she had to live in hiding just like he did. "You know that this isn't fair. She didn't deserve to be made like this. She deserved so much more than I could give her." He expressed, curling his fingers around the metal railing with a tight grip.

"Maybe you should actually talk to her and see how she feels on everything that's happened."

With that said, Kisuke walked away. Shinji knew that the older man was probably right in the fact that he should talk to her. He just didn't want to disappoint her. Taking a deep breath, he turned away from the river and started to head back home.

 **XxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Jūshirō took a leave of absence for the rest of the day. He walked through the Seireitei, greeting others in passing; but he was on a mission and finding Kūkaku's house would be no easy task. Thinking back on the sorrowful gaze emanated from Rukia just hours beforehand just felt like a knife to the chest. Kaien's death was still a fresh wound and now with Namika's it was now a gaping hole.

He remembered the sorrow filled blue eyes of Namika's when she had returned from her brother's funeral. There was nothing he could say that would ease her pain. She ran and there was nothing he could do to keep her there. Had he told her 'no', she would have found a way to escape reality.

Officially exiting the Seireitei, he continued through the first part of the Rukon District. He asked several residents if they knew Kūkaku's whereabouts. After several dozen questions, he finally got the answers he was looking for. Walking the path that would lead him to his destination, he couldn't help but think about the reasons he lost both Shiba siblings with a month's time between the two.

"Who goes there?" A voice asked.

"Jūshirō Ukitake, Captain Squad Thirteen. I have news of Namika Shiba." He answered.

There was silence for a moment before the doors suddenly opened, granting him passage inside. Two men greeted him wearing red hats with gold trim and white tassels on top. A light blue scarf was tied at the front of both of them.

Jūshirō immediately noticed that they were twins and the only difference was the color of shirts they wore. One wore yellow, while the other wore white.

"Please follow us, Miss Kūkaku awaits."

He said nothing, just simply followed the two men down through the house. Once they entered a large meeting room, he could see the woman called Kūkaku sitting on a large pillow smoking out of a long narrow gold colored pipe.

"You have some balls coming here, Soul Reaper." She stated, blowing out a puff of white smoke.

"Perhaps...however, I did not come for a fight." He answered, standing his ground.

"You said you had some news of my sister."

"I do; but before I tell you, I'd like to know why there is so much hostility towards her. After Kaien's death, she spoke nothing. In fact, she even went on to say that she lost the last person who cared about her."

The twins stood rigid. Kūkaku waved a hand at them, dismissing them from the room. She stood up from her seat and stepped down to face the Captain face to face. Jūshirō didn't expect the tension to rise to an extreme high; but the need to know was eating away at him. "That information isn't for the likes of your kind."

"That girl was one of the brightest soldiers I ever had the pleasure of knowing. She had so much life. Kaien may have been a little too overprotective of her in certain aspects of her life; but she never seemed to care, because he was there for her no matter what."

"Was?" Kūkaku asked with wide eyes.

"Yes...she died last night…."

Kūkaku dropped the pipe out of her hand, letting it fall to the floor. She turned her head to see her little brother Ganju standing in the doorway with tears rolling down his pudgy cheeks. It was the same look he had when Kaien was brought back lifeless. He was too young to be losing family members.

"Mika is gone?" He cried.

"This had better be a freakin joke! Namika has far too much strength to be dead." Kūkaku shouted back.

"I wish I were joking. She was like a daughter to me…"

The twins re-entered the room, escorting the youngest member of the Shiba clan out of the room. Kūkaku turned from them back to Jūshirō. The tears burning at the corners of her eyes. "I can't accept that. She may have only been a half sister to us; but she is still a Shiba. Our father had a one time affair with a Rukon District woman; but she wasn't just any Rukon District woman, she was 'the' woman. A psychic with great spiritual power. Namika inherited her power for being able to avoid danger and protecting those she cared about."

"Then why treat her like she didn't matter to you?"

"Jealousy does a lot of ugly things to people and that is why I refuse to believe she's dead. I need to apologize."

The faith was strong and it awakened his own faith. Rukia had not brought back a body to confirm her death, so there was hope that she had been mistaken. Kūkaku's words reminded him of someone else who had refused to believe she was gone, if only because he had yet to admit his feelings for her. For the first time, he smiled really smiled. "Keep your faith and hopefully it will bring her back to us."


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Another chapter, so here we go. Let me know what you think.**

Chapter 11:

Imprint on the Soul

Namika felt restless. The vague answers Kensei and Hiyori gave only seemed to confuse her further. She sat alone in the corner away from the group. It wasn't until the door slid open did she raise her head from her knees. Her eyes caught those of Shinji's absent mindedly. The amber of his eyes looked different than they had earlier on.

"You took your great old time getting back here, Shinji." Hiyori scolded.

"Bite me, Hiyori."

"Instead of fighting with me, why don't you talk to the girl."

Hearing Hiyori argue with Shinji, made Namika stand up from the spot she was sitting down at. Her long curls fell over her shoulder as her eyes narrowed in annoyance. "The girl has a name, Hiyori. Or did the fact that you are so short make your memory just as short?" Namika countered with her own insult.

"Why you little ingrate!"

Out of anger, Hiyori lunged in Namika's direction. A smile curved her lips at the impending fight. Shinji just watched, debating on intervening to prevent any kind of damage. Hiyori swung with her blade only for her adversary to flash-step out of harms way.

The hollow inside always seemed to enjoy a good fight and he suspected it was the same with Namika's inner hollow. She was testing the waters of her new powers even though she knew little about them; but one of the things he loved about her was the fact that she could easily adapt to new things fairly quickly.

"You couldn't beat me while in the Soul Society and you sure as hell won't be able to beat me now." Namika taunted, dodging every single attack Hiyori tossed in her direction.

"Cockiness will be your downfall."

Once again, Hiyori swung with her blade swiftly only to connect with the metal of Namika's blade. The ocean blue of her eyes were swirling with the yellow of her inner hollow. The longer the fight went, the more she was learning the ways of the new power flowing through her veins. Breaking through the stalemate of blades, Namika had an opening to strike.

"THAT'S ENOUGH!" Shinji bellowed.

Both women froze at the sound of his anger. Namika's eyes returned to their normal blue as she returned her blade back to its sheath. She didn't wait for him to say anything else before bolting out of the warehouse. She had already gone too far than she normally would have. The hollow that now resided inside her, changed her and she didn't like who she was becoming.

Shinji narrowed his eyes at Hiyori as she re-joined the group. She didn't bother to look at him. Instead, she retreated up to the top level of the warehouse where her room was located. "Shinji, you probably should go after her. If she's not fully in control of her new powers, then she's a danger to society." Rose urged.

Rushing out of the building after Namika, his mind went back to another memory he held close to his heart. The words she spoke that day would forever be embedded inside his soul, like an imprint that would never fade.

 _Weeks after basically telling Namika Shiba that there was something between them, he found himself buried in endless paperwork. The look on her face that day hadn't left his mind, haunting him. It was hard to concentrate on his duties as Captain. Perhaps she had been right in saying that it would be greatly frowned upon. She was a distraction._

" _Sir, why don't you take a break from that." Sosuke urged stepping inside the office._

" _No need."_

" _Sir, you haven't left the office for anything other than a quick nap. Is there something going on?"_

" _Nothing that concerns you."_

 _Sosuke let out a short sigh. Shinji peered through the two large stacks of papers at his lieutenant. There was a concerned look upon his face. "What's with the concern, Sosuke? You never cared before." He asked standing up from his desk._

" _The squad is worried. You haven't been yourself for weeks. I continuously tell them that you are just overworked; but that is just a lie. That girl has gotten under your skin and you can't let go."_

" _I don't know what you're talking about; but now that you mention a break, I think I will take one."_

 _He continued on out the door, leaving his lieutenant to work on the mess that he had been drowning himself in for weeks. The moon was high in the sky and the courtyard fountain could be heard from the walkway. The sounds of the night were soothing his inner turmoil, until he heard a voice that was awfully familiar._

" _What part of no don't you understand!" The voice shouted._

 _He recognized the voice as that of Namika's. Without thinking, he chased after it. He could see her walking along the Squad Five barracks walkway and one of his squad members was following far too close to her. Leaping in between them, she turned around with tears streaking her face as her eyes made contact with his. "Don't you have someplace to be." Shinji stated, glaring at his obviously drunk squad member._

" _Yes..yes...sir…"_

 _He turned around and walked in the opposite direction. Namika turned away from him, wiping the tears away from her face. Shinji closed the distance between them, hovering inches away from her back. His warm breath caressed the sensitive skin of her bare neck. "Are you alright?" He asked softly._

" _I'm fine…"_

" _Namika...why are in the Fifth Squad Barracks?"_

 _Another sob escaped her mouth, breaking the barrier around himself he tried to build. He wrapped his arms around her from behind. She trembled in his arms as she thought about the reason she was there in the first place. It was most unsettling and though it really shouldn't come as a surprise to her._

" _I don't know why I came here. I shouldn't have…"_

 _Shinji removed his arms from around her shoulders and turned her around to face him. The tears were gone; but the sorrow still remained in her eyes. Forgetting about the conversation they had weeks prior, he reached out to cup the side of her face. "What's got you so sad? I'm no fool, I can see it in your eyes."_

" _My family...I swear Kaien is the only one who cares about me. I know I'm just a half sibling to them; but Kaien is the only one who treats me the same...equal…"_

" _They are lucky to have you as part of their family. Anyone is lucky to know you…."_

" _Shinji…"_

 _He dropped his hand from her face, remembering her words from the last time they saw each other. The loss of his warmth, alerting her to what she had spoken before. He had told her wonderful things that got her heart pounding and she had been cold, just like her sister was to her. Seeing that first hand, she refused to be that way._

" _I am sorry for being so cold to you the last we spoke."_

" _You weren't wrong. It would be greatly frowned upon."_

 _Namika smiled, reaching to touch his face with her fingertips. "I can see that Kaien isn't the only who cares for me and I've been such a bitch to you. You've listened to me when you really shouldn't be giving me the time of day."_

" _Will you shut up…"_

 _She went to open her mouth to respond; but his lips captured hers instead. Her eyes closed instinctively, drowning in the sensations his mouth on hers was bringing. Her free hand held onto his Captain's haori tightly. Every touch of his lips against hers brought a new light to her horizons, a new faith that maybe things would be okay._

 _Shinji held onto her, not wanting to let go of her. He had no idea why he decided to kiss her; but he regretted nothing. Her lips were soft and absolutely addicting; but he knew that he needed to stop. Pulling away, she opened her eyes to meet his gaze._

" _You are absolutely addicting…" He whispered._

" _From the time we met, I felt like you'd be someone important to me and it only seemed to grow within me. Kaien could tell that I was fighting against it and despite his overprotective nature, he encouraged me to do what my heart told me to do."_

" _And what does it tell you?"_

" _To give this a chance...to not give a damn about what people think."_

 _He loved hearing those words, because no matter what people would think, he wouldn't care as long as he was happy with her. The fact that the Shiba Clan fell from noble status a while ago, left it much easier to court her. Had she been still a noble, the process would have been so much harder._

 **XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Namika sat upon the hillside looking down upon the river. Ever since coming to the living world, the place reminded her of her favorite spot in the Soul Society. The spot where she went to escape the reality of being a disappointment to her family.

The sound of the water rushing was soothing to hear and it calmed the inner turmoil that raged inside. It was beginning to get crowded inside her soul. Not only did she have Kurori ryū's voice inside her head, she also had her inner hollow's voice in there as well.

"I thought I'd find you here." Shinji said pushing the voices out of her head.

"Reminds me of home…"

"You know that will never be home again now. What happened to you can't be undone and they will never understand it."

Shinji waited for her to answer; instead, she stood up abruptly. A few moments of silence passed by before she finally turned around to face him. The look on her face reminded him of that night they finally accepted that what people thought didn't matter. "I don't really understand what happened to me, how can they judge me when I don't have a clue."

"Because they sentenced us to death the second they got wind of what we had become. Central 46 won't care that it's been a century since the first subjects happened."

"It's a good thing I didn't plan on going back. My family pretty much disowned me when Kaien died. I don't belong there anymore or maybe I never did…"

She started to walk back up the hill and stepped passed him. He reached for her wrist and held on, preventing her from going any further. The feeling of her skin gave him a familiar comforting sense that things would still be okay. "Don't do that...you always belonged...and you are not alone here."

"So why couldn't you look me in the eye?"

"I thought I lost you when I was turned into this and you were still in the Soul Society. I tried to push the sorrow away and drown in other things, like vengeance. So when you showed up, it brought back all those emotions and it hurt even more when I realized that you had no memory of me."

"My memory is back...I remember everything."

"I know and it's a lot to take in all at once; but that doesn't mean I don't still care."

Namika understood where he was coming from. It was a lot to take in. It was an emotional rollercoaster than he never should have had to go through, especially alone. She relaxed against his grasp and he let go of her wrist. Tilting her head to look at him directly, the amber of his eyes were once again soft. Exactly how she remembered them to be. "I think I should still stay with Kisuke. After the outburst between Hiyori and I earlier, I think I overstayed my welcome."

"I mean you did insult her, which was funny as hell by the way. I didn't think you had that in ya."

"That's something new about me. I guess you'll have to stick around to learn more."

"I don't plan on going anywhere; but you are going to have to learn better control over your new abilities."

She smiled coyly in agreement, then started to walk away towards Kisuke's home. Shinji only smiled to himself, realizing that he was going to enjoy learning all the new things about her that he had missed out on knowing. It was like starting all over again, except all the feelings were already there.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: You've been asking for appearances from other Bleach characters from the living world and that is exactly what you will get in this installment. I hope you all enjoy it and let me know what you think.**

 **A special thanks goes to: animefreak112097 for the wonderful reviews.**

 **Another special thanks goes to: Shiranai Atsune for becoming a follower to this story.**

Chapter 12:

Family

A week passed by since the transition into the realm of the hollow happened and Namika spent most of her time mentally training herself in Kisuke's underground training room. When she wasn't there, she was at the warehouse physically training with Shinji to getting a better control over her new abilities.

However, today was a little different. Kisuke had woken her fairly early compared to most days. She crawled out of bed. Dressing mindlessly into a pair of, what the human's called, athletic pants and a navy blue tank top. Namika tossed up her hair into a high ponytail and stepped out of her room to greet Kisuke at the end of the hall.

"What's going on that you woke me up extra early today." She asked yawning.

"Well since you are a permanent resident of the living world now, I've arranged for a meeting between you and an old friend in the prospect of a job for you."

"Come again? You want me to have a human job?"

"Exactly! You need to be able to fend for yourself, have your own money."

Namika frowned a little at the statement; but quickly came to realize that he was right. She did need to be able to take care of herself and not mootch off him forever. Curling in her bottom lip, she nodded her head at him. He placed a gentle hand on the center of back, urging her forward. Once they made it outside, a man was standing with his back to them.

From that side, she could see his short black hair. He was tall, muscular and somehow familiar to her. Kisuke stopped walking and stood right next to her, if nothing else but for encouragement.

"It's been a while, my friend." Kisuke greeted, his hat tilted to the front a little to cover his eyes.

"Yes it has…" The man answered, slowly turning around.

Namika's eyes widened upon seeing the man. She knew him. At the same time she deemed it impossible, they were told he was dead. She supposed Kisuke had done quite a few favors for Soul Reapers who didn't wish to return or couldn't return, like herself. "Uncle Isshin…" She said breathlessly.

"It's been a long time, Namika…"

She smiled and didn't waste a single second before rushing forward to wrap her arms around him. He let out a slight groan as her head connected with his chest. Kisuke couldn't help but smile at the scene displayed before him. He didn't think it was right for her not to know that she still had some family around.

Isshin placed a hand on the top of Namika's head, softly petting her head like a father would to calm his child down. "You've grown up and you look just like your mother." He commented.

"I don't think that's a good thing, considering how everyone except Kaien has treated me." She replied pulling her head away from his chest.

"You're father loved you all the same. Kaien had the most gentle heart out of all the Shiba's. They both would be proud to see you as you are now."

Namika let out a sigh, taking several steps back away from her uncle. She didn't know what he knew or if Kisuke filled him in on all that's happened to her since her arrival to the living world. A vision of her inner hollow came to mind almost instantly. "I seriously doubt that; but I appreciate you saying that."

"Just because you crossed over into the hollow world, doesn't mean that you still aren't the same person. You are still my niece and that won't chance. I have a son who is a lot like you. He blames himself for his mother's death, nothing will change his mind."

The fact that her uncle just admitted that he now had children meant that she had more family in this world than she originally thought. Isshin smiled once again as he placed a hand on her shoulder, looking her straight in the eyes. The brown of his and the blue of hers. "Come to the Kurosaki Clinic tomorrow at noon and we will get you started on your new position. After that, you'll be able to meet your three cousins."

"Okay."

He turned, waving goodbye to both of them. The breeze that flowed between the buildings around them coursed through her hair, tossing it all around her shoulders. Maybe connecting with family would be good for her and help her fit into the society, now that it was a permanent transition.

 **XxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Shinji started down the stairs from his room. The others were scattered around the makeshift living room while Kensei was cooking a massive meal to feed eight mouths, sometimes nine depending on when Namika was joining them. Cooking always seemed to calm the rage he felt inside.

Hiyori eyed him from across the room. Her annoyed stare only made him want to laugh. There was no reason for her to be annoyed with him; but yet it always seemed to happen no matter what he did. There were so many different personalities within the group and it came as no surprise when one would clash with another.

"Why do you keep staring at me!" He snapped, tucking his hands into the pockets of his pants.

"I just keeping looking for something that makes you so appealing to her."

"Probably because I'm actually a decent person."

Hiyori went to open her mouth but closed it almost instantly when she felt a familiar energy approaching their not so humble home. Shinji simply smiled at how quickly she shut up when she felt that Namika was close by. The door slid open to reveal the woman in question. She was dressed in her traditional athletic pants and tank top that hugged against her every curve, bringing Shinji's fantasies to life inside his head.

"Hey Namika, will you be joining us for dinner tonight?" Lisa asked rest an arm over her shoulders.

"Unfortunately no, I came to talk to Shinji for a minute." She answered with a regretful smile.

"What's up?" Shinji said taking steps closer to her.

"Walk with me?"

Silence took over the room, not a single person moved either. They waited for Shinji's answer; but all they got was a simple nod of the head. Lisa rolled her eyes. Deep down she had hoped that he had gotten over whatever barriers he put up, because she knew better than anyone just how much he cared for her.

Namika turned away from the group with Shinji trailing closely behind her. He simply watched and waited for her to say whatever was on her mind. "Hiyori still hates me I see." She finally said breaking the lengthy silence.

"She hates everyone, you know that."

"I don't know, I figured she'd at least have a little respect for me considering how much I've gone through over the last couple of weeks."

He let out a sigh. Unfortunately, he knew that Hiyori would never admit out aloud to anyone that she did in fact respect Namika. He even went as far to think that maybe she even envied her a little, for no other reason than strength. "I don't think that's the reason you asked to speak to me out here. What's going on?"

"Do you remember my Uncle Isshin?"

The name rang a bell instantly within Shinji's mind. Everyone knew that he had been the Captain of Squad Ten for years before his disappearance and eventual assumed demise. It was one of the things that brought the fall to the Shiba Clan and lost their nobility status within the heart of the Soul Society.

He was kind of like a standard bearer for most new Captains, other than Jūshirō Ukitake and Shunsui Kyōraku. Of course, Genryusai Yamamoto as well. He couldn't forget the old man. "Yeah...I remember him…"

"He's alive."

"What! How do you know this?"

"Kisuke brought him to the shop today. He wants me to work at his clinic starting tomorrow. I'm supposed to meet his kids as well."

Shinji knew that she was thrilled to know that she had more family; but he also knew that she was going to be skeptical, especially how unfairly she was treated by her immediate family. With the exception of Kaien. Now he understood why she came to him.

"Namika, there is nothing wrong with trying to form a relationship with your family. You are here permanently and trust me when I say that you will go insane if you don't have anyone to talk to."

"Then why do you still hide in that warehouse? I can't imagine the eight of you getting along so nicely."

"We don't; but it's all we got."

Namika's heart dropped upon hearing that. She didn't understand why he was so distant with her. It felt as though he wanted nothing at all to do with her. Maybe family was all she had left at this point, which was ironic considering she didn't have family in her corner while she lived in the Soul Society.

Everything was so much harder now that she lived in the living world and she honestly didn't know if she'd ever be okay with it all. Her emotions were all over the place and the only person that seemed to calm the rage was Shinji. **_"Maybe you should just surrender to me and I'll make all that doubt go away."_** Her inner hollow's voice whispered, caressing the void between her control and insanity.

"No, it's really not all you got. I understand what you are saying though…"

"Namika…"

Shinji could feel the shift in her emotions just by looking into her eyes. Her usual stunning blue were starting to turn into hollow yellow, which meant the hollow inside was winning the battle. He was afraid that if she didn't get a control on it so, she'd loose herself to the insanity. "I can't expect you to care as much as you did back then...it was over a hundred years ago."

"Don't do that...you know damn well that I care."

She turned away, hiding her face from his viewing. The voice of her inner hollow was getting louder, beckoning her to succumb to the insanity. The struggle was very real to her and she hated what she was becoming. She was easily angered, easily hurt and everything seemed to affect her one way or another. "I'm sorry...I'm having a hard time keeping her a bay. It's a lot harder than I thought it would be." Namika apologized, closing her eyes entirely.

"I know it's not easy. I've been doing this for a hundred years. You are not alone in this fight, Mika. I'm right here with you."

"Are you? Because I feel like I've lost you…"

He flash-stepped to get as near to her as possible without actually knocking her over. Her eyes widened upon seeing that close. Without much thinking involved, he reached out to slide a single finger down the side of her face to lift her head up to meet his gaze fully. "You are such an idiot...you've never lost me. The pain I felt when I became this abomination and the reality of loosing you was far too much for me. Over the years, the pain got to be less intense and I could get through my life...until you came here and you couldn't remember me...there was no point in telling you what you wouldn't care to hear."

"Shinji…"

"No matter what you think...I've never stopping caring about you."

The yellow of her eyes slowly faded away until the blue of her natural color returned. The voices stopped and she could feel the tears start to burn the corners of her eyes. The wind started to pick up and dark cloud circled the sky. He knew all too well what was going on. Her emotions were taking control of the weather thanks to her zanpakuto's abilities.

Cold rain droplets began to fall down upon them just as the tears trickled down her warm cheeks. Staring at her only for a few seconds longer, he leaned in, capturing her lips with his own. The second their mouths connected, every single memory they shared across time came flooding back to mind. Reminding them of their connection to one another.

Namika never expected for him to kiss her nor did she expect him to be so open with her. She smiled against his lips and relishing in the feeling, an oh so familiar feeling. The cold rain stopped almost immediately and the clouds scattered in different directions in the sky, bringing warmth back to the air around them. Shinji pulled back slowly, severing their connection. "What do you say...join us for dinner?" He asked with a toothy grin across his face.

"I suppose I can make that work." She answered, returning with a coy smile of her own.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: It's wonderful to see all your positive comments keep rolling in. Onto number thirteen, let me know what you think.**

 **A special thanks goes to: animefreak112097 and thunderyoshi for the wonderful reviews.**

Chapter 13:

Meeting The Unknown

The next morning, Namika awoke early. The anxiety of nerves coiled inside her stomach. She was going to be starting a human job in a few hours and she honestly didn't know the first thing about human medicine.

Making her bed, she dressed in her usual running attire. It consisted of athletic pants and a plain black tank top, sneakers that were a light blue in color. She proceeded out of the room Kisuke had allowed her stay in and out the front door for her morning run.

"Good morning, Namika!" A woman's voice shouted as she passed by one of the neighboring apartment buildings.

"Morning, Mrs. Tosei." She answered with a wave, continuing on down the sidewalk.

She felt almost normal, having the same routine everyday. The people were awfully nice to her, especially the little old lady in the bottom apartment. Mrs. Tosei was an owner of the bakery a few streets away from the apartment building she lived in and Namika had visited the place several times on her way back through on her runs.

Somehow the adrenaline surging through her as she ran helped ease the anxiety she felt about starting the job with the Uncle she thought was dead for so long. She had cousins she knew nothing about. It surely was going to be a test for emotions.

"Is there a reason you are running so hard today?" A voice asked.

Namika stopped dead, recognizing the voice immediately. She turned her head to face the ally that was next to her. Shinji was standing there, dressed in his usual brown pants and white button up shirt with a striped tie around his neck. "Are you checking up on me?" She asked, avoiding his question.

"No, not this time."

"Then what's up?"

"You need to come for some training today. After yesterday...I can see that you still need some help in control."

She figured it had something to do with training and that annoyed her greatly. For once, she wanted to have a normal day and a have a normal relationship with the guy she cared so deeply for; but again, he was so up and down. Hot one minute and cold the next. It got her thinking that maybe the hollow inside him made him that way, changed him on levels she knew nothing about.

Her own inner hollow called out to be heard; but she pushed it down, concentrating on the normalcy of her life currently. "I'm aware that I still need better control and I will try my best to get there after I'm done working with my Uncle."

Shinji reached for her hand, pulling her deeper into the ally. Her soft skin, reminded him of their kiss yesterday and every other kiss they had shared in the past. It also reminded him of all the reasons why he loved, even if he still couldn't tell her that to her face. "Do me a favor today?" He asked softly.

"Sure…"

"Don't be overly skeptical of them. Isshin has always been a good guy. I believe he wanted you to know his kids because you are his niece and you are the most caring person I have ever known."

"Shinji...I'm worried about the hollow part of me. I don't ever want to hurt anyone.."

He jerked her forward by the hand until she was in his arms. Her ear rested softly against the beating of his heart. The sound of it eased her trembling thoughts of her hollow escaping her control. His fingers filtered through her auburn curls, causing her to look up at him. His playful nature was gone, replaced by a serious expression that was rarely seen by her. "That is why I want you to come for training more often than you do. I understand that you have problems with Hiyori; but don't you think your control is a little more important."

"You're right...it is…"

"Good luck today, I'll see you soon."

He placed his lips on her forehead softly before flash-stepping away. Namika's heart was pounding like it always did when she saw him. Turning away from the ally, she began her run back to Kisuke's shop.

 **XxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

"Welcome, Namika!" Isshin greeted warmly.

She smiled, accepting the embrace he was trying to give her. He proceeded to show her around the clinic he took great pride in. It was weird for her to seem him act so normal, like being labeled as dead in the Soul Society didn't mean a thing to him. In time, she hoped the same effect would bestow upon her as well.

"So what is it that I'll be doing?" She asked fumbling with her hands in front of her.

"You will be doing all my scheduling, answering phones and such." He answered, pointing to the small desk in the front.

Isshin showed her exactly what she needed to do when answering the phone and after a few tries, she got the hang of it. Before long, she was organizing the filing cabinets in alphabetical order. After the last patient walked out of the room, he leaned against the counter. He watched his neice do her best to accomplish what he had asked her do.

"Why didn't you come back?" Namika asked, feeling his gaze on her back.

"There were alot of things that happened to make that happen. I am sorry for what happened to the Clan."

"Nobility was never my cup of tea. Do your kids know?"

"No...they have higher spiritual awareness than more people. They can see spirits; but they say nothing on anything else. Ichigo is probably the most intuned with it."

Placing the last manila colored folder in the cabinet, Namika stood up and turned to face her Uncle and new boss. Her eyes shifted to look at the clock hanging on the wall above him. She didn't realize just how late it really was. Almost five in the afternoon and still no sign of his kids arriving. "You may go for the day. I forgot about their after-school things today. Perhaps tomorrow will be a better day to meet them."

"Are you sure that you want that? Who I am is going to raise some questions for them."

"You let me worry about that. Maybe you should think about starting school. It might be beneficial to you to learn how humans live in this society,"

She supposed that wasn't an entirely terrible idea; but if he wanted her to work for him, how was she going to do that if she was in school? It didn't make any sense or maybe the job had been a ruse to get her alone so he could talk to her himself. Either way, she was going to have to think about it. There were risks to the venture as well.

Namika walked around the desk to fully stand before her Uncle. Things in the living world were so different than what she was used to in the Soul Society. She knew that she could never return, not after what happened to her. Isshin reached out to place a hand on her shoulder. "At least think about it. You still have the appearance of a sixteen year old."

"You and I both know that I am not sixteen anymore…"

He smiled, knowing full well that she wasn't that old; but rather one hundred and twenty-eight years old. He remembered the day she was born and all the fuss it created. She was a descendant of not only a Shiba Clan leader but a powerful psychic as well. The traits meshed together and brought them, Namika Shiba. Gentle, fierce, intelligent and absolutely stunning to the eye. "No, you are not; however, you can play the part."

 **XxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Namika walked with her head down in the direction of the warehouse. There was a lot going through her head. She wished that things would get easier for her, simple like in the Soul Society. It didn't take long for her to see the large barrier surrounding the warehouse on all sides. It truly was impressive. The amount of power it took to keep it going was astonishing.

Placing her hand against the yellow colored barrier, she sent a little of her spiritual pressure out so they would know she was there. A small doorway appeared allowing her entrance to the building.

Sliding the door open, she was met with several sets of eyes. Lisa smiled at her, always welcoming her. Hiyori, on the other hand, rolled her eyes and continued on about her business. Rose and Love acknowledged her by waving. Mashiro leaped at her, wrapping her arms around her tightly. "I take it, you missed me." Namika said with a smile of her own.

"Of course, they are all just a bunch of meanies around here."

"No one is mean to you, now go back to whatever it was you were doing." Kensei interrupted crossing his arms over his chest in an annoyed fashion.

"Hello to you to, Kensei."

Without saying a word, he returned to the couch. Shinji came up the stairs for the training grounds beneath the building. He looked around at everyone's tense posturing. Clenching his hands into fists at his sides, he got a little closer to the group before letting his anger get the better of him. "What is everyone's fucking problem? Every time she walks in here, you all shut down and forget how to speak."

"Shinji, it's fine. Let's just go do the training you want me to do and I'll leave." Namika said, trying to reason.

"No, it is not fine! Somebody better speak up!"

She wanted to feel happy about him defending her; but there was a part of her that didn't want him to lose the only makeshift family he had for her sake. Lisa looked up from her magazine and looked at everyone else except for Mashiro. "You know Mashiro and I don't have a problem; but I believe the others are concerned." She said standing up from the chair she had been sitting in.

"Have you not thought about the reasons she might have been exposed to the hollow realm?" Kensei asked, resting an arm across his legs.

"What are you getting at?" Rose asked, looking up from his comic book that he had just taken back from Love.

"Think about it! She comes to the Living World after the death of her brother, for all we know could have been killed by Aizen to. A month later, a swarm of hollows attack her. Coincidence, I think not. I believe he was behind her transformation. He knows we are still alive and wanted to make a statement, by using the one person you care about more than anything."

Shinji avoided looking Namika in the eye. What Kensei said made sense to him. He tried not to think about the reasons she had been exposed to the hollows by turning her into the abomination he had become over a century ago. He never wanted that for her, nor did he want her to see that side of him and now there was no going back.

Namika watched him closely, watching his emotions coil across his face. If what Kensei said was true, then she just found the person she'd be taking her vengeance out on for Kaien's death.

"Does it really matter how I came to be like you guys?" Namika asked, taking a step closer to Shinji.

"No, I suppose it doesn't. The question now is….will you be able to fight anyone who gets in our way, including the Soul Reapers?" Hiyori asked taking several steps forward.

Namika understood what they were asking of her. She understood the unease the flowed through all of them. They had once been respectful soldiers within the Soul Society and their entire identity was wiped away in one single night. A night, she had been in a coma for. Had she been able to, she would have risked everything to save them. "You have nothing to worry about from me. The Soul Society is not my home any longer. This...this world is my home now and I'll be damned if I let him get away with the crimes he commited."

"Very good. Don't disappoint me, Namika Shiba." Hiyori said turning back towards her seat.

Shinji allowed Namika to walk down the stairs first. His blood was boiling thinking about Sosuke Aizen. Experimenting on him was one thing but experimenting on the others was something he couldn't forgive, especially since it ran so deep now that the woman he cared for had succumbed to the same darkness.

"Shinji…" She called.

"Yeah…"

"This is not your fault and we will get our vengence when the time is right; but I want you to know….if I had been able...I would have risked everything to save you all that night."

Her words caught him off guard for a moment. The anger faded away and it was replaced with a calm that only seemed to happen when she was near. He knew that what she said was the truth. "I'm glad you weren't able to be there. The only positive I saw in all that darkness was the fact that you were safe in the care of Squad Four. Things happen for a reason, even if we don't understand why they happen."

"Shinji…"

"Now, let's get started on your lesson for the day."

"Which is?"

"Forming your mask at will."


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Heard some new music this week and it has inspired quite a few more ideas for this lovely little story. I hope you all will enjoy the future ideas that will be coming up soon. Onto number fourteen and this one is very Shinji/Namika centric, let me know what you think.**

 **A special thanks goes to: animefreak112097, KitKatKaylei and thunderyoshi for the wonderful reviews.**

 **Another special thanks goes to: KitKatKaylei for becoming a follower to this story.**

Chapter 14:

History Lesson

"Again!" Shinji shouted.

Namika got back to her feet, sweat rolling down her face. They've been down in the training grounds for the last three hours trying to get her to hollowfy on command. Each time she tried, the length of time got a little longer; but not by much. The power was taxing on her body and she was growing tired quickly.

She reached her hand up once more, pulling forward and creating the vortex of power needed to create the mask. The white shell that deemed resembles a dragon appeared across her face. Shinji smiled, he was proud of her. He knew that she was tired and that he was pushing her a little too hard; but it was needed for her to have complete control over the hollow inside.

Metal clashed against metal, echoing across the grounds. The power she was unleashing was rare, it was like she was meant to be this hybrid warrior. Pushing him back, Namika shifted her blade around and away from his. She swung upward swiftly, catching him across the cheek. The sight of crimson made Shinji realize that he was going to have to hollowfy himself if he wanted to avoid any injuries.

However, before he could, Namika's mask shattered. It hadn't lasted a minute that time, which meant she had spent nearly all of her energy. Namika collapsed to her knees before him, panting for a breath of air.

"I'm...sorry…" She apologized.

"No need for an apology. I can see that you are exhausted." He answered, offering his hand to her.

She accepting and he helped her to her feet. Her eyes went instantly to the cut on his face. The guilt set in upon seeing it with her own eyes, not those of her hollow. She reached her hand up to wipe the blood away with her index finger. "I'm glad it wasn't any deeper." Namika commented.

Shinji didn't know what to say to her. The fact that guilt was written all over her face made him realize that he probably wasn't the best training partner for her. He was going to have to convince someone else to do it, which wasn't going to be an easy task.

Once they got to the top of the stairs, Namika could see that it was dark outside. She slowly started to walk towards the sliding door that would lead her out to the city. Hiyori eyed her in passing but said nothing.

"Mika, wait!" Shinji called after her.

She stopped just shy of the door, not bothering to turn around and face him. Hiyori noticed something was off with her and decided to pay more attention to the situation. The others barely moved a muscle in their direction. They were all too busy doing other things to listen to the desperation lingering to Shinji's voice.

Namika slid the door open and took the few steps it took to get outside. Shinji rushed after her, reaching for her hand. The firm grip around her wrist lightened up when she finally stopped walking away.

"Don't walk away from me…" He said softly.

"I can't do this...she's stronger than I thought. It might have been only a slight cut this time; but who knows about next time. Shinji...I'm not going to be the one to end your life….do you think I would ever be okay after that…"

"The dumbass if stronger than you give him credit for." Hiyori interrupted, coming out of the warehouse with her hands in the pockets of her pants.

"Hiyori…" Shinji whispered.

Namika turned to look at the smaller woman in the eyes. The burning tears in her own started to fade, replaced by irritation that she had the nerve to eavesdrop on a private conversation. She pulled her hand free of Shinji's grasp and clenched her hands at her sides, doing everything she could not to attack the root of all the irritation she felt.

Shinji could feel her energy returning in waves. He couldn't really understand why they hated each other so much. From what he remembered, they didn't see eye to eye in the Soul Society either; but he never asked Namika about it, never wanted to pry into things she seemed sensitive over.

"You have no business in this conversation." Namika snapped.

"I actually do. You are a vizard now, whether you like or not and if you can't grasp control then we will have to eliminate you. You were told this right from the beginning."

"Then go ahead and eliminate me!"

Namika outstretched her arms, relinquishing all defenses. The anguish was swirling in her eyes. Shinji had never seen her so defeated before. Hiyori smirked, taking a step in her direction withdrawing her blade as she walked. "You truly are pathetic. You give up way too easily and that has always been your problem."

"You know nothing! I lost my brother, the only family that gave a damn about me, and the family I do have left cast me out like I meant nothing at all. I can't go back home! I'm stuck in this city with people who pity me, so you tell me what I have left!"

Shinji wanted to tell her that she still had him. If he was honest, even if he said something her emotions were taking over and his words wouldn't get to her. He would talk to her after the argument died down.

"I know plenty. I know that when you graduated from the Academy, they offered you a Lieutenant position and you turned it down.

Namika narrowed her eyes, flash stepping to get in front of Hiyori quickly. Her fist connected with her jaw, sending her back several feet. Shinji could see her energy's aura, just like he could see the anger across her face. He never knew that she had been offered a high ranking officer position upon graduation and he assumed that no one did, judging from the level of anger she was presenting.

The commotion was drawing attention. Lisa poked her head outside to see what was going on and before Shinji knew it they all were standing in the doorway to the warehouse, watching the exchanges in verbal and physical attacks. Lisa looked at Shinji, pleading with him to get them to stop; but he had no idea what to do to get them to stop other than physically restraining them.

"You wouldn't understand the reasoning behind my decision just like you wouldn't understand anything I'm going through currently. You never could understand the things I did and you took it upon yourself to insult me at every turn."

"Hiyori, don't you think you've said enough?" Shinji said stepping in between them.

"She's weak, Shinji. I will never understand why you are so drawn to her."

He turned to look directly at the smaller of the two women. The amber of his eyes were soft and it caught Hiyori off guard for a moment. "Emotions are not weak if used the right way. I've told you this once before, have I not?" He asked, the softness of his eyes were gone in a flash, replaced by a subtle hardness.

Hiyori ignored his question, flash stepping to get around him and back into Namika's face. "You need to toughen up if you ever hope to avenge Kaien's death, stop fearing every obstacle in your path. I will be taking over your training. Shinji is too soft on you. I won't be." She said before turning away to return to the warehouse.

The rest of the group made an opening for her so she could enter the building. They took their leave as well, leaving Shinji alone with Namika once again. She relaxed from her tense posture. "So you were offered a high ranking officer position right when you graduated…" He commented, breaking the silence between them.

"And as Hiyori put it out there...I declined the offer…"

"Why? You told me once that you wanted to be a leader."

She let out a sigh, then leapt to the top of the warehouse to sit down. He followed suit and sat down next to her, keeping a little distance between them. "I was new, still naive to combat as you figured out later on. I didn't want to be a fresh newbie in a position of power...wanted to earn my place within my squad; but as time moved forward, I stopped caring about the position and focused on respect."

"What changed?"

"You came along and it didn't seem to matter to you what my position was, so I stopped worrying about it."

Namika rested her head on his shoulder. He looked down at her, moving her head back up so she had to look at him. He placed both of his hands on the sides of her face. "Your position didn't matter to me; but I didn't want you give up on your goals either." He said, turning his body so his knees brushed up against hers.

"None of it matters now anyway...the past is the past and we can't go back to it now." She answered, reaching her hands up to pull his down.

"No, we can't; but it doesn't change anything. You still mean the same to me as you did back then, perhaps even more so."

She smiled, sliding back a little so she could lay her head on his lap. His fingers found her hair quickly enough, with soft strokes her eyes slowly started to close. He had never actually watched her sleep with the exception of when she was in the coma, which wasn't really a peaceful slumber.

He studied every feature right down to the scar that was showing slightly above her right breast. The woman asleep on his lap had more scars than he did and he hated it. Reaching down, he lifted her up bridal style and quietly jumped down from the roof to walk back inside the warehouse.

No one said a word as he entered the building, he simply walked passed them all to climb the stairs that would lead to his room. The darkness lay bare for him so he sensed his way through the room to lay her down gently upon his bed. She stirred awake the second her head was placed upon the pillow. "Shinji…" She whispered.

"I'm right here, rest...there is no shame in it." He encouraged.

"Stay...please…"

"I'll be right back, I promise."

There was no reply, which meant she had fallen back to sleep. He exited his room and returned to the main room of the warehouse. Hiyori was the first to step forward. "You know I'm right. You can't train her properly."

"I know, she feels too guilty if she hurts me. You are perfect, considering she had absolutely no problem hurting you."

"Yes, we've all seen that. So why is it that you two hate each other so much?" Lisa asked stepping forward with her arms crossed over her chest.

"I don't have to tell any of you shit!"

Hiyori stormed off, ignoring the question altogether. Lisa studied her tone of voice and recognized the emotion all too well. Once she was out of ear range, Lisa turned to the others. "It's jealousy. She wants what Namika has. I think that has always been her problem with her."

"What does Mika possibly have that she could want?" Shinji asked oblivious the answer that was right in front of him.

"Your heart…"

Kensei scratched head, wondering if that really was the problem between the two women. He supposed it could be true, considering how Hiyori constantly fights with Shinji about everything.

Shinji shook his head and returned to his room. The sound of Namika's soft breathing was comforting. He lay beside her, careful not to disturb her. Staring at the ceiling, he remembered sitting in the chair next to her bedside a day after the coma started.

 _Watching her quickly became his daily activity, he wanted things to change. He had hope that she'd wake up sooner rather than later. A soft knocking came across the entry way, Shinji turned to see who was there. Retsu Unohana was standing there with a look of concern on her delicate features. "How long have you been sitting there, Captain Hirako?" She asked softly as she stepped into the room._

" _Not long. I've had a more paperwork than usual to finish."_

" _You've been here every day since it happened, are you resting?"_

" _As much as I can…"_

 _She watched him for a moment before doing what she came in there to do. She stepped around the chair to get to the comatose woman laying in one of her hospital beds. Her wound looked better in her opinion; but she knew that it would leave a scar. Physically, Namika Shiba looked healthy minus the open wound. She found no reason why she should be in a coma. "I don't understand why she's like this." She said suddenly._

" _What do you mean?"_

" _Other than the wound, there are no other injuries and when we tested her brain activity there were no damages there either, which was a concern since her heart stopped beating several times when I was healing her."_

" _So you're telling there is no reason she should be in this coma."_

" _Precisely what I telling you."_

 _His mind wandered to all other possibilities and that's when he remembered her warning about his squad having a darkness surrounding it. Was his Lieutenant really behind the darkness she felt, like he felt? A gentle hand was placed on his shoulder, snapping him out of his inner thoughts. "Try to keep your strength up and I will do what I can to wake her. It's been a long time since I've seen two people care for each so deeply, it would be a shame for it to end before it had a chance to really begin."_

" _Thank you…"_

 _Retsu continued on out of the room, leaving him alone with the only sound of Namika's steady breathing to comfort him. Shinji leaned forward, taking her hand into his. "You fight, you hear me. Don't you dare leave me before I've had a chance to really tell you how I feel." He said in a low voice. Her fingers curled a little around his hand for a brief moment before relaxing once more._

 _He smiled, it was his sign that she had no intentions of giving up and that she was fighting on the inside to wake up on her own. Standing up from the chair, he leaned down to kiss her forehead. "I never understood your relationship with my sister; but seeing just how caring you are towards her...it gives me a better understanding." Kaien said entering the room._

" _There is no one like her in the world."_

" _No, there is not…"_

Shinji blinked his eyes, the memory fading back to the recesses of his mind. Namika rolled to her side, facing him. He could see her face from the light of the moon coming through the small window. Her eyes were open, the blue of them sparkled with the reflection of the moon. "You've been thinking…"

"The past always seems to pop up when I don't want it to." He answered returning to look at the ceiling.

"You know...I vaguely remember hearing your voice when I was in that coma."

She could feel him tense up almost instantly, so she reached for his hand that was resting between them and pulled it up to her face. Her lips found the back of his hand, which got him to look at her once again. "That voice was what kept me fighting, it wasn't my brother's...it was yours. I wanted to get back to you. You have no idea how alive you made me feel back then and still do…"

"Why were you so adamant about being killed tonight?"

"Hiyori...always seems to bring the worst out of me. I guess I should do things differently when it comes to her."

He felt her let go of his hand and retract her own close to her chest. Sitting up quickly, he loosened his tie and tossed it to the floor then looked down at her. The curiosity of whatever happened between them got the better of him. "What happened between you guys? There is obviously a lot of hatred between you to."

"Shinji….I'd rather not talk about it…"

Letting out a sigh, he moved to stand up. Namika curled her bottom lip in. She knew that he was upset with her. It was something she hated and as he started to walk towards the door, she opened her mouth to speak. "She came to me a few months after Kisuke started the Research and Development Department. I tried to get her to give his ideas a chance, of course that failed miserably. Hiyori has always been stubborn and wants things her way."

"I'm aware…"

"She turned her frustration with the situation out on me. A lot of hurtful things were said; but nothing more so than her saying that I didn't deserve your attention. I've been told that I'm weak so many times that it barely bothers me anymore...but when she admitted that she was better suited for you than I was...I guess my jealousy got the better of me and I started to hate her, without really meaning to…"

After hearing that, Shinji came to acknowledge that Lisa had been right all along. He turned back around to face her. Her legs were pulled up against her chest and her head was tucked down between them. He walked back around to the empty side of the bed and got back on it, pulling her into his arms. "Your jealousy is kind of flattering; but you have absolutely nothing to worry about."

"That doesn't make me feel any better…"

Namika lifted her head up from her knees and proceeded to fall back until her head hit the pillow behind her. Shinji lay beside her, propped up by an elbow. "In one of the last conversations I had with Kaien, I told him that there is no one like you in the world and that statement still stands to this very moment. You've held my heart in the palm of your hand for over a century, even if I spent most of it without you."

Tears spilled over the threshold of her lashes and without letting a sob escape her mouth, his captured hers. His hand came to cup her cheek, while her tongue swiped against his in one swift motion that drove him crazy. His inner hollow beckoned, wanting a taste of his own. Fighting him down, Shinji held onto her gently, breaking the connection of their lips. Her eyes grew heavy once again, relaxed at the feeling of being in his arms. "Goodnight, princess." He whispered in her ear.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: I appreciate all the activity this little story is getting. As I mentioned at the beginning of the last chapter, I've got quite a few more ideas brewing in my head. However, those are down the road, right now this one is one you've been waiting patiently for. Onto number fifteen, let me know what you think.**

 **A special thanks goes to: xxRyuu-himexx, 22 and RJKEmpireGirl24 for becoming followers to this story.**

 **Another special thanks goes to: thunderyoshi for the wonderful review.**

Chapter 15:

Choices

 _The crimson color of blood lay prone on the ground in a trail that lead her down a path of unknown circumstances. Blue eyes narrowed as she followed the grim pathway to who or what the blood trail belonged to. A knot began to form in the pit of her stomach as she turned the corner to see Kaien kneeling in front of Rukia with a sword through his chest._

 _A scream erupted from her mouth, his name was the only thing came out. Rukia's soft violet eyes filled with tears as a murmured apology was said. Kaien's tranquil eyes returned to their normal color as he spoke some of his last words ever to be uttered. "Thank you."_

" _Kaien...no please…" Rukia pleaded._

" _It's...okay...take care of my sister...she will not understand…"_

" _Of course…."_

 _He smiled just as his eyes rolled to the back of his head. His last breath escape through his lips. Namika realized that she was just a spectator in the event and her voice could not be heard; but seeing his death first hand made her understand a little better, even if she still blamed herself for not being there for him._

 **" _Namika!"_** _A voice called to her._

 _Tears trickled down her cheeks as Rukia cried her sorrow holding her brother in her arms. Jūshirō came into view, seeing the incident for the first time. His lieutenant's death hit him hard. "This isn't fair, Captain!" Rukia shouted out of frustration._

" _It never is…"_

" ** _Namika!"_** _The voice called again._

Shooting up from her slumber, Namika gasped for air. Shinji held her shoulders gently. He stared at her with a look of concern on his face. Her eyes darted around, taking in her surroundings. It had been a dream, or a vision of the past, she could never tell the difference. Either way, the images made her chest ache with sorrow. Angry sobs were allowed to escape her walls. "Shhh, it's okay...it was just a dream." Shinji tried to soothe as he held her close to him.

"It was so real...my brother's death…"

The sound of her crying in his arms brought a whole new level of anger to his already growing hatred of Sosuke Aizen. Namika clung to his shirt with her hand for a moment before lifting her head up to clear the tears away from her eyes with her fingers. "I've got to get going…" She said pulling away from him to get out of his bed.

"Are you going to be alright?" He asked getting up with her.

"What's with a the concern for me lately? You've never showed this much concern for me in the past."

"Things change."

"I suppose they do. Don't worry so much, I'm fine. I'll back later to continue my training."

He got around her to open the door first. She smiled, taking to step out of the room first. They walked down the stairs to the main room. Kensei was asleep on the couch and there wasn't another body present at all. Namika figured it was too early for any of them to be awake yet. She wondered if Shinji slept in as well and her dream had woken him earlier than he was used to. "Do you sleep in like they do?" She asked softly.

"Not really. I'm usually up early, so stop thinking you woke me up."

"Was I that transparent?"

"Kind of...yeah."

Namika turned to slide the door open quietly. The sun was just getting to the tallest of the buildings in the city and the warmth of the approaching summer breeze caressed her bare arms. It was going to be a beautiful day, that much she could tell. "My uncle thought that maybe I should pretend to be a teenager and go to school with his son, said it might be beneficial to me learning how live here."

"It's not a terrible idea; but that's entirely up to you. Not gonna lie though…"

"Not gonna lie about what?" She interrupted, raising an eyebrow at him.

"That you'd look really hot in one of those uniforms."

"Shinji…"

There was a chuckle to her voice, not entirely surprised that those words came out of his mouth. In the past, he'd always make little comments like that to her. She never minded them, because deep down that made her feel appreciated. "I will see you later, okay." She said turning away from him until she felt his hand on hers.

"All jokes aside, you know that you are beautiful right?"

Those words made her heart race. She didn't understand the change in him. It was almost like a desperation was taking over and he had a fear of losing her. Sliding her fingers through his, she leaned in to press her lips against his. His other hand came up to touch the side of her face, running his fingers through her auburn waves. "I know you're afraid that you'll lose me again; but I just want you to be you, no rushing things okay."

"I haven't seen you in over a century and then you almost died in my arms...so yes I am afraid that I will lose you."

"I guess we both have our insecurities."

He kissed her one more time before she took her leave through the barrier. He understood that he was probably suffocating her with his constant worry of her well-being, to the point that he mentally vowed that he would try to curb it and give her some much needed space. Their relationship was getting better and he didn't want to ruin it by crowding her, even though he was dying to see her at all moments of the day.

 **XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Namika rushed back to Kisuke's shop to change clothes before heading to her Uncle's for another day of work; but her mind kept going back to Shinji. The look on his face when she left broke her heart. There was so much pain in his eyes that she just wanted to make it all go away. She wondered if it would always be that way now that they were different from normal Soul Reapers. "Where have you been, young lady?" Tessai asked as soon as she walked inside the shop.

"At the warehouse training." She answered and turned to enter her room.

She could hear Kisuke chuckle outside her door as he talked to the bigger man in a muffled voice. Ignoring the urge to eavesdrop on the conversation, she quickly got dressed in a pair of light colored jeans and a light blue button up blouse that was low enough across the chest to expose her necklace.

Namika remembered when her father gave the item to her. She had just turned sixteen and he thought she deserved something that had belonged to her birth mother. Ever since then, she has always worn it.

The silver chain sparkled against the sunlight coming through the small window across the circular dark red pendant. She opened the door, weaving around Kisuke and Tessai to leave the shop once again. "Sorry to just run out on you guys; but I'll be late if I don't!" She shouted just as she walked out.

"And this is why I didn't have kids…" Kisuke said blinking a couple times.

"No respect, I swear…" Tessai commented, throwing in his two cents.

Namika got to the clinic just barely on time. Isshin waved at her while one the phone. She smiled, feeling completely at ease in his presence until a familiar humming sound came to her ears. It was followed by a pinching sensation inside both of her ears and before she knew it she was on her knees.

"I'm gonna have to call you back." Isshin told the person on the phone.

He hung up and rushed around the counter to get to his niece. Her eyes were pure white for a moment before she shut them completely. Her hands went to to touch the sides of her head as a groan of pain escaped her lips. "Namika, focus...focus on the images." Isshin encouraged.

He knew exactly what she was experiencing. He had seen it happen to her when she was younger, a trait passed down to her by her biological mother. The gift of visions. Though, she never thought they were a gift. "Yuzu…" She said softly.

"What about Yuzu!" Isshin asked out of desperation.

Namika blinked once and her normal blue colored eyes returned. Isshin helped her to her feet before looking for answers. Yuzu was his daughter's name and somehow he knew that Namika had also figured that out just by seeing what she saw. "Tell me what you saw." He asked again.

"A hollow will attack her. She was all alone…."

"When?"

"On her way home from school today."

"Then I'm picking her up now."

Isshin stepped out around her to race over to get to the door. Namika flash-stepped to block his exit. The sweat rolls down her cheeks, visions took a lot out of her mentally and physically. "The hollow is tracking her energy, if you go and pick her up now it will attack sooner. You are not a Soul Reaper anymore, you both will be in danger then. I will go watch over her."

He couldn't argue with her. He knew that she was right. The years of confinement in his gigai had rendered him unable to help in situations like these. It was probably the most frustrating considering he never thought hollows would attack his family. He had to rely on others and that didn't sit well with him.

Namika placed a hand on his arm gently. In that moment, he realized that she wasn't the little girl he had grown to love so much. "It will be okay, I'll protect her. You have my word on that." She said stepping out of the clinic.

 **XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Leaning against the tree in the yard next to the school, Namika kept tabs on Yuzu's energy from a distance. Every time it moved, so did she. Namika studied her appearance the second she walked out of school with her twin sister right next to her. Yuzu had short blonde hair with bangs hanging over the right side of her face. On the left side, was a red clip. The polar opposite of her sister, who had black hair that came just above her shoulders. She portrayed a very tomboy look.

"Karin! Wait up!" Yuzu shouted.

"You're gonna have to go home by yourself today. I'm gonna go play soccer at the field."

"Oh alright, don't stay too long. I'll have dinner ready by seven."

With a wave goodbye, Yuzu was now alone. Now it was time for Namika's job to really start. She followed at a close distance, careful not to be seen just yet. Turning on a corner, there weren't very many people on the sidewalk; but there were several taller buildings that seemed familiar to her.

Just as she thought it, she heard the howl from a hollow. Yuzu stopped for a minute, looked around and then kept walking. Namika was cautious and rightfully so. The hollow appeared out of thin air, smashing into the nearest building. Yuzu screamed, frozen in her place while holding her hand up to shield herself. Namika lunged at the scared girl, pulling her close and out of harms way. Rolling forward with Yuzu in her arms, she ran into the ally.

"Oh great, you're unconscious." Namika commented sitting the girl down against the wall of the building that had a chunk taken out of it.

Snapping her fingers, her zanpakuto became visible to the eye. The second the hilt came in contact with her hand, she stepped out of the ally and looked the hollow in the eye. Every single one of them reminded her of the reason her brother was no longer a part of the living. "You will not get any closer to her." She said taking another step in the direction of the hollow.

"You smell odd, Soul Reaper; but a meal is a meal." He replied.

Tightening her grip on her sword, she rushed in to take the fight to him. The sound of metal against claws echoed unknown to the world around them. It didn't take long for Namika to take over with her new found strength, her abilities were far superior to those of the hollow. Her blade sliced right through the hollow.

Not bothering to look on as it faded away, she returned her zanpakuto and rushed to the side of Yuzu. The younger girl slowly opened her eyes, to meet those of Namika's for the first time. "Are you alright?" Namika asked.

"I think so….what happened?"

"The building had a gas leak and it kind of exploded. I was lucky enough to pull you away from the falling debris."

"Oh! Thank you!"

A smile curved her cousin's lips. There was nothing more beautiful than a child's innocence. Just meeting her once, she knew that she was never going to let anything happen to her nor her sister and brother. They were the only family she had left. "Come on, let's get you home." Namika said holding out a hand to her.

Yuzu took it without any hesitation. They started their walk back to Isshin. He welcome his daughter home with open arms. Namika could only smile at the scene playing out in front of her. That had only been a fantasy of her's growing up, there had been no open arms for her though. Karin stepped out from the kitchen with a worried look upon her face and another body stepped out with the same look.

Namika had to take a double take at him. He looked so much like her brother Kaien, except for his eye and hair color; but all other features look so similar. The burning sensation started back up in her eyes and it took everything inside to not let them fall in front of them. "What happened to you, Yuzu?" Karin asked placing her hands on her sister's shoulders.

"On my way home, there was a gas leak in one of the buildings and this lady saved me."

Every set of eyes were upon her. The idea of it should have freaked her out; but all it did was warm her entirely. Isshin smiled at her, silently thanking her for protecting his daughter. The boy, Isshin had called Ichigo, took several steps closer to her. "Thank you for saving my sister today." He said, extending his hand out to her.

"No need to thank me." She replied accepting his gesture.

"She's right. There is no need, because she's family and that's what family does." Isshin stated letting go of his daughter.

"What do you mean she's family?" Karin asked coming into the room further.

Ichigo took a closer look at the woman who he had just shaken hands with. He couldn't pinpoint any similarity to anyone he knew currently; but he felt there was something different about her. "She is your cousin, my niece."

"My name is Namika, nice to meet you all."

 **XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

"Have a good night, hope to see you soon." Yuzu said as Namika left the Kurosaki home that night after dinner.

"Of course, very soon." She answered with a smile.

The three siblings returned inside, leaving their father outside alone. He smiled, welcoming Namika into his arms for a short embrace. "Yuzu likes already." He commented with a chuckle.

"Yeah...she's a sweet girl. Karin is probably gonna be harder to win over; but not as hard as Ichigo. He barely said two words to me after the initial meeting."

"Give him time, he's been through a lot."

"You were right, going to school would be beneficial. If only to get to know my cousins better…"

Isshin smiled, understanding her decision. She took her leave and started to walk towards the warehouse. She knew that Shinji was going to be a little angry at her for missing out on training for the day. Stopping mid-step, she turned her head to look at the river. The moon reflecting across the slow moving water. It got her thinking back on the past, a moment where she knew that she had fallen in love with Shinji Hirako.

 _Namika sat on the hillside overlooking the small stream that flowed through Squad Thirteen. It was one of her favorite spots in the entire Seireitei. The fireflies were out in full force, lighting up across the white flowers that were blooming along the bank. Her mind was on a certain blonde haired Captain that had a knack for always knowing what to tell her to make her feel better about things in her life._

 _Another reprimand for disobeying orders and she felt like she didn't belong there anymore. Kaien understood that she did things that felt right to her, not necessarily what her higher ups tell her; but he still scolded her for not listening._

" _Maybe I just don't belong here…." She told herself out loud._

" _Now why would you ever think such a thing?" Shinji asked from behind her._

" _I'm sure you heard about my latest scolding."_

" _I did...there isn't many who hasn't. It was kind of a big deal."_

 _She let out a sigh that was loud enough for him to hear. Shinji came walking towards her and sat down behind her, pulling her back between his legs. She could feel his arms wrap around her waist, embracing her with comfort in mind. His chin rested on her right shoulder and his lips found her cheek. "I know it's hard to listen to others….but sometimes they have more experience that they could share with you."_

" _I know...I wasn't trying to be insubordinate; but the order just seemed ridiculous to me and I suggested something else; of course, he didn't listen...no one does."_

" _You know that's not ture. Kaien listens, your Captain listens...I listen."_

 _Namika turned to face him. The amber of his eyes softer than she had ever seen them before. She never could figure out what he saw in her. All she knew was that she was falling hard for him and without him she felt incomplete. He filled a void within herself that had been empty for as long as she could remember. "How do you put up with me?"_

" _That's a stupid question, Namika."_

" _It's not…"_

 _She stood up and took several steps closer to the water. She knew that his eyes were still upon her, gazing right at her. She never wanted to drag anyone down with her self-destructive actions and that was how she was feeling when it came to Shinji. "You are not the only one who wonders why we came together. I wonder what you see in me, just like you wonder what I see in you. We are the perfect kind of crazy that just seems so right."_

 _Namika's words were locked in her throat. 'I love you', it was there; but wouldn't come out no matter what she did. She turned back around to face Shinji and stormed right back to him, pulling him to her. His lips captured her without a single hesitation. With every movement of his lips across hers, she felt less and less terrible about how things played out earlier that day._

Blinking her eyes, Namika smiled at the memory. Turning away from the river, she continued on down the path only to see Shinji standing in the middle of the path with his hands in the pockets of his pants. She curled her bottom lip inward, not expecting to see him standing there at all.

"You missed training today." He stated.

"I'm sorry. I had dinner with my uncle and his kids." She replied tucking a stray chunk of her hair behind her ear.

"No big deal, so what were daydreaming about just now?"

"No daydream...just thinking on a memory from the past."

He raised a questioning eyebrow at her. There was a sudden flush to her cheeks that tinted them a light shade of pink. He pulled his hands from his pockets just as she closed the distance between them. She took his hand into hers, lacing their fingers together. "Let's go home." She said with a smile.

Shinji's eyes widened a little at her statement. He questioned what she meant by 'home'. Did she mean Kisuke's shop or the warehouse? Walking beside her hand in hand was entirely new to him; but he didn't want to ask for fear of ruining the moment with her. The smile on her face was all he ever wanted to see, knowing that he could still do that meant that there was still hope for them; despite all the obstacles that had been thrown in their way.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: A special thanks to victoria cullen15 for becoming a follower to this story. Onto number sixteen, hope you all enjoy and let me know what you think.**

Chapter 16:

Emotional Jitters

"Are you sure that you want to do this?" Kisuke asked the next morning.

"I need to. I want to get to know the family I have here and the only way I can do that is by going to school." Namika replied.

He reluctantly agreed to her request and took all the steps needed to make it so she could enter the school without suspicion. Tessai gave her the school's uniform to change into. Namika felt excited to start something new, a moment in her day that left her feeling somewhat normal. The shirt was snug but not too snug for it to be label 'too small'.

Namika made her way to the school that Ichigo studied. His bright orange hair was easy to spot in the throb of students that were littered outside the building. A smile formed across her lips at the thought of getting to know him a little better. Family meant alot to her, despite being cast out of the clan when Kaien died.

"Hey princess, looking good." Shinji's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"What are you doing here?" She asked looking around to anyone was watching her.

"Came to remind you about training today. Hiyori sent me out here, trust me I didn't want to bother you with that trivial amount of information when I knew that you knew about it already."

She smiled, understanding what position she had put him in and he was still by her side through it all. The breeze filtered through his hair, tossing it across his face. She reached up and moved the hair out of his eyes. "I appreciate the reminder. I promise that I won't skip out."

"You better not, cuz then I'll have to come looking for you."

"God forbid you do that."

He chuckled at her sarcasm. He enjoyed seeing this side of her and relished in the idea of seeing new sides of her that he had missed out on seeing. He leaned down to kiss her forehead just as the bell rung for the start of the school day. "I'll see you later okay, got to go." She said stepping out around him to make it on time.

Namika rushed to make it through the doors, feeling slightly guilty that she just left Shinji hanging without a proper goodbye. She mentally told herself that she'd make it up to him later. The main office was open, stepping inside they gave her the class schedule she'd be taking for the remainder of the year.

She nervously made her wait to the room that would lead her to her first class. Sliding the door open, the teacher stopped speaking the second she saw her. Out of the corner of Namika's eye, she could see Ichigo's hair from the back of the room. He looked up from his book and made eye contact with her.

"Namika Shiba huh? You may take any empty seat."

Namika nodded and moved through the aisle to seat down in the first open seat she could see, which was two rows ahead of Ichigo. She could feel his gaze on the back of her head; but she did her best to block out the negative feelings she had about him not accepting her. "Everyone turn to page one hundred and three and read the first passage to yourself."

 **XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Jūshirō stood outside the office of the squad he commanded. The koi fish swimming in the stream below him seemed to calm his ever racing thoughts. The only things he seemed to think about anymore was Kaien and Namika Shiba. He cared for both of them deeply, like his own children.

He lost Kaien to a hollow and a month later he was told that he lost Namika to hollows as well. After speaking to Kūkaku Shiba, he felt better about the idea of thinking Namika was still alive somewhere in the world of the living.

"Captain…" Rukia called softly.

"Yes." He answered turning to see her confused expression on her face.

"I don't understand why I'm being passed up on going to the World of the Living."

"Rukia, you just came from there. There are other things I need you here for right now. You will be going the next time, I promise."

She swallowed the lump in her throat, thinking back on what she had seen in that warehouse she had followed Kisuke to. The hollow mask on Namika's face and the change in her spiritual pressure was completely unheard of and yet felt somehow comforting. She knew that she was stronger than she ever had been before and it got her wondering what she was doing presently.

Jūshirō placed a hand on her shoulder, urging her to step back into the office with him. He was beginning to think that she knew more about Namika than she had initially told him upon her return to the Soul Society. At some point down the road, he planned on asking her about it with the hopes that she'd tell him the truth.

 **XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

"So who is the new girl? You've been eyeing her like you know her." Keigo, Ichigo's friend, asked at lunch.

"She's my cousin, I guess. My dad just dropped that on us the other day." Ichigo replied taking a sip of his drink.

"She's such a looker though...hard to believe that she's related to you." Mizuiro, Ichigo's other friend, commented.

He looked up from his lunch to eyeball him with a simple stare of disgust and that's when Namika walked passed them to sit down under a nearby tree alone. She opened up a small hardback notebook that was obviously a journal. Ichigo watched her for a moment before getting up from where he sat to approach her.

"You can sit with us, if you want to." He offered, hovering over her.

"Thank you; but I'd prefer to earn your trust and not have you offer out of some sort of obligation you feel." Namika answered keeping her face fully in her book.

"Just get your ass over here."

She looked up at him as he offered a hand out to her. Ignoring the gesture, she got to her feet on her own. He blinked a couple times, realizing that would be something one of his sisters would do. A smile tugged at his lips. Keigo and Mizuiro welcomed her to their little circle. Ichigo kept quiet, just listening to their conversation with Namika.

"So where are you from, Namika?" Keigo asked leaning in a little closer to her.

"Not too far from here; but when my father passed away, I came here."

Ichigo softened even more upon hearing that. It was even harder to hear that her mother has passed away shortly after giving birth to her. She was an orphan, no wonder his father was so warm to her upon arriving with Yuzu.

Namika's heart clenched when she spoke of her mother. She never knew her and never had a chance to know motherly love, because the woman who raised her wanted nothing to do with her. Thankfully the bell rung to end the lunch break. Keigo and Mizuiro ran ahead of everyone else. "I'm sorry about your family…I know how it feels to lose a parent." Ichigo said softly.

"It was a long time ago; but what hurts the most right now...is the only person who truly gave a damn about me died two months ago."

"Who was that?"

"My brother….and I see a lot of him in you...so it makes me feel a little better."

She continued to walk towards the doors of the school, leaving Ichigo behind with his own thoughts. Keeping her head up, the thought of her brother's death was slowly getting less painful to talk about; but that didn't mean that she had forgotten about the revenge she swore to take in his honor.

At the end of the day, she felt pretty good about how things progressed. It wasn't perfect, then again, nothing was. She watched Ichigo wait around for his sisters to be done at their school before walking with them home. Karin and Yuzu were full of smiles when their brother was close by and it reminded her of her relationship with Kaien.

" _Kaien, wait up!" She called from the garden behind their home._

" _Namika, what's wrong?" He turned to see his little sister full of tears and a bruise forming on her cheek._

 _Being only eight years old, she understood just when people did want her around. Kaien knelt down to see the bruise up close. She could see the anger swirling in his eyes; but there was also a gaze of sorrow. "Oh my sweet sister, who did this to you?" He asked pulling her into his arms._

" _No one...I fell…"_

 _His embrace tightened around her, already knowing that she was lying; but he never pushed her to speak the truth. Her auburn hair fell into her eyes, hiding the tears that trickled down her face. "I will always protect you." He whispered in her ear._

From then on, he always seemed to be there to prevent another beating at the hands of her sister or the mother of the family. Smiling, she watched Ichigo and his sisters get greeted by their father at the door. He turned to look at her, stepping aside to welcome her inside as well. "It's okay, I have somewhere to be right now. Take care, I'll see you tomorrow." She said with a wave goodbye.

Namika found herself walking towards the warehouse with the intent on showing up for training, when her head started to surge with a painful pinching that was all too familiar. Tossing herself in an abandoned alleyway, she fell to her knees waiting for the images to appear in her mind.

The gripping pain took her breath away and the image of her sister came into view along with the image of the home she grew up in turned into nothing but ruins. She didn't understand what it all meant, it was vague and yet the dread overwhelmed her. Did she dare return to the Soul Society to check in on her sister?

"Namika, are you okay?" A familiar voice came into ear range.

She blinked her eyes before looking up from the ground to see Kisuke standing there with a hand outstretched to her. She accepted and he helped her to her feet. It came as no surprise that he was there, when she had a vision a wave of spiritual pressure was expelled out for the world to feel and she wouldn't be surprised if Shinji showed up next.

"What did you see this time?" Kisuke asked.

"My sister and my family home in ruins...it didn't make much sense. I just have this feeling of dread surrounding it all…"

"I will look into it and I will let you know what progress develops from it."

"Thank you…"

Rubbing her temples for a few moments, she righted herself to continue on her way towards the warehouse. The sense of dread wouldn't seem to let up at all, even with Kisuke looking into the whatever it was her vision was trying to tell her. The warm energy of the barrier licked across her skin as she placed her hand on the golden energy.

A door opened within seconds and she stepped through. Sliding the door open, several sets of eyes were on her. Lisa eyed her with a coy smile, obviously liking the outfit she was currently dressed in. She truly was a pervert at heart, just like Kensei always assumed she was. "You made it!" Mashiro squealed with a tight embrace waiting for her.

"You didn't think I would?"

"You did skip out the other day."

"I had my reasons; but I'm here now."

Shinji walked up from the training grounds with a smile on his face the second his eyes made contact with hers. The sense of dread she was feeling suddenly vanished for the moment and was replaced with the warmth that made her heart pound against her chest. He always seemed to make the darkest parts of her life have a ray of hope. "Come on, Hiyori's waiting." He said reaching for her hand.

She slipped her own hand into his. Walking down the stairs, she debated on telling him about the vision. Before she could open her mouth, Hiyori came into view. She stood firm with her arms crossed over her chest. "It's about time you showed up." She commented and the second the words were out of her mouth, Namika flash-stepped to get up close and personal.

"Why don't you shut your mouth and get to teaching, or do I have to kick your ass to get you to do anything relevant." Namika replied.

Shinji was surprised by the sudden change in attitude. He took several steps back to sit on the stairs, wondering what would cause the split-second change in her. Namika snapped her fingers and her zanpakuto became visible to the eye. Pulling the blade free from its sheath, she rushed towards Hiyori. The connection of metal on metal caused an explosion that was unexpected.

"What the hell is going on down here?" Kensei asked walking down the stairs.

"I'm not sure. It's supposed to be training; but Mika is overly angry."

"What did you do to piss her off this time?"

"Nothing...she was like that when she got here."

Hiyori was on the defensive, not expecting the rapid strikes from the newest vizard. There was emotion behind every single movement she made, that much was obvious; but what made it worse was the fact that she seemed to be in complete control of the hollow inside. Her eyes widened when Namika raised her hand up the pull the energy to create the mask over her face.

The yellow eyes stared at her. Hiyori could feel the increased power within seconds of the mask forming. "Is there a reason for all the hostility?" She asked before crouching down to reach for the hollow within herself.

"Like you care…"

"You're right, I don't; but fighting with such anger will only cloud your attacks, leaving you open for counters."

Namika watched as Hiyori formed a ball of red energy at her hands. She only ever heard of the massive attack forming around Hiyori, not once had she ever seen it in person. A cero, a hollows more devastating attack. "Hiyori! Wait! She's not ready for that!" Shinji shouted from the staircase.

It was too late, the energy was fired. Namika's mask shattered and left her defenseless. Shinji rushed in attempts to block the attack from coming in contact with Namika. He knew that he wasn't going to make it in time and the explosion was violent. His eyes widened in horror, seeing the smoke cluster around the newly formed hole.

Hiyori dropped to the ground, her own mask falling to pieces from her face. The terror on her face was evident and the guilt was there as well. Shinji knew that she had gotten carried away with teaching the lesson and now he had to hope that woman he loved wasn't gone for good this time.

Once the smoke started to clear away, he could see Kensei holding Namika against his chest. The mask was starting to flake away off his face. A breath of relief escaped Shinji's mouth and he wondered just when he took off to get there in time to deflect the blast.

Namika opened her eyes to see the fabric of Kensei's dark purple tank top. She could feel his arm around her protectively. He stood up, letting her out of his embrace. "You okay?" He asked softly, not meeting her gaze.

"I...think so…" She replied at a loss for words.

Kensei walked forward in the direction of where Hiyori was standing. Shinji passed him in walking towards Namika. They shared a silent glance, a mental 'thank you' and 'your welcome' passed through them. Once he got to Namika, he pulled her into his arms holding on for dear life. "Are you alright?" He asked, kissing the top of her head.

"I'm fine…"

"I am so sorry…."

"Don't apologize, you did nothing wrong here."

Stepping out of his embrace, Namika walked away towards the stairs that would lead her out of the training ground. She had had enough for one day and wanted some time to think alone. The image of Kūkaku came to mind once more, returning the feeling of dread she once felt earlier on that day.

She could hear Kensei yelling at Hiyori and all she could do was close her eyes tightly and pick up the pace. Lisa blocked her path from exiting the warehouse altogether. "Please, step aside.."

"I know Hiyori took things too far today; but this is where you belong. You are one of us." Lisa pleaded.

"Physically maybe...in my heart I'll never be…"

Stepping out around her, she slid the door open to escape the pain she felt. Hiyori reminded her of Kūkaku. She never wanted her to be part of the family and did everything she could to sabotage her breakthroughs with their father. The night air was cool and it brought the gooseflesh to her arms. "Running again?" Shinji's voice sounded from the doorway.

"No matter where I go...there will always be someone who hates me and will do anything to get rid of me. I'm just going to make things easier for all of you and not come back here."

"Do you really think that will change things? You're an idiot if you do."

Namika swiftly turned her body around to face him, angry tears rolling down her cheeks. She hated being seen that way, it left her feeling vulnerable and that was something she never wanted to be.

Shinji took cautious steps closer to her, "I know you feel like everything is against you; but you are not alone in this. If you hadn't noticed, everyone likes you here with the exception of Hiyori. I will deal her myself..."

"I had a vision today." She admitted, cutting him off.

"It's been awhile since I heard you talk about those. What did you see?"

"Nothing that made any sense...Kisuke is looking into it. I just have this awful feeling about Kūkaku."

Shinji closed the gap between then and took her back into his arms. He could feel her trembling with sobs she was trying to stop. His lips pressed against the skin of her forehead. "I shouldn't care...she's always hated me...but she's my sister and I want to protect her. Is that wrong?"

"No...it's not wrong. Family is family and you will always love them, despite the flaws."

"Then you understand what I have to do now."

"Let Kisuke find out everything he can first and then we will talk about getting you into the Soul Society."

A smile curved her lips, just as she leaned in to capture his. He cradled her head with the palm of his hand. The warmth of her mouth was tempting beyond recognition. A simple swipe of her tongue caused him to groan in a primal desire that only seemed to awaken with her touch. A fury of desperate kisses, left them breathless and panting. "I appreciate all you've done for me in the past, the present and possibly the future as well. I was far too scared back then to speak of this; but now…"

"Now what?"

"I love you. I've been in love with you for over a hundred years, Shinji Hirako."


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: I want to thank animefreak112097 for the wonderful review. I'd also like to thank LadyPinkyofJapan8181 for becoming a follower to this story. Onto number seventeen, let me know what you think.**

Chapter 17:

Brotherly Kindness

The words were out of her mouth before she knew it and all she could do was watch Shinji gaze upon her with eyes wider than usual. There was a silence that surrounded them and it made Namika's heart ache without a response. Her hands began to tremble against his chest. In the silence, her mind started to wander to the millions of scenarios that could possibly happen now that she spoke those three words that defined a relationship. Did he not feel the same way? Did she speak the words far too soon?

She took a step back out of his arms, shying her face away from his gaze. Shinji immediately reached for her. "I can't believe you beat me to it." He said softly, filtering his fingers through her hair to cup the back of her head once again.

"I love you too, have been for a very long time." He spoke again.

"I hate that my coma took far too many years away from us."

"There is nothing you could have done, princess. I just knew that I'd never be able to move on, so I stayed away from women altogether. You were it for me."

Namika smiled with a tint of pink attached to her cheeks. He always knew what to say to get her heart racing a million miles a second and even a hundred years later, he still could do the same. Just as she leaned in closer to Shinji, the sound of someone clearing their throat. The couple turned to see Kensei standing at the edge of the barrier.

"Not to interrupt; but there is something I think needs to be addressed." He said keeping his emotions in check so as not to be read by the two people in front of him.

"Are you referring to Hiyori?" Shinji asked.

"Yes."

"I've already taken the liberty of leaving. I won't be coming back." Namika assured, pulling her hands back to hang loosely at her sides.

Kensei's eyes narrowed. He already knew that wasn't going to solve anything. Despite the fact that Hiyori had issues with the newest vizard, there was no way he was going to let Namika go untrained. That was a far greater risk than dealing with the drama from the inside. He took the few steps needed to pass through the barrier. "That won't solve anything. You need to be trained correctly or your power will eventually become a threat to this world."

"Then what would you have me do?" Namika snapped without meaning to.

"Hiyori isn't a good fit for you as a trainer, which is why I will be taking her place."

It was Namika's turn to be stunned. The one person out of all the vizards she never thought would give a damn about her training has actually volunteered to take control of it and that's when she remembered his protective embrace around her when Hiyori had fired her hollow Cero. Perhaps he cared after all.

 **XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

 **Three weeks later….**

"Damnit! I'm late!" Namika screamed running out the front door of Kisuke's shop.

"No cursing, young lady!" Tessai yelled back from the porch.

All she could do was laugh at the scolding. She enjoyed Tessai's parenting tactics more than she was willing to admit. It felt like home, well almost. Kisuke still hadn't heard anything about her sister and the vision was starting to wake her up at night. Shinji was her voice of reason when it came to her not just barging back into the Soul Society to check on her herself.

Slowing down her pace, she turned the corner that would lead her to the high school she was falsely enrolled in to form a relationship with the only family she had left. Sliding the classroom door open, she was immediately scolded for being late. "My apologies." She said before taking her seat in the room.

Ichigo could see the destress all over her face the moment Namika had walked into the classroom. He always seemed to have a sixth sense about things all his life and this was no different. There was something indeed bothering her and he was curious to know what that something was. He couldn't explain the desire to know why she just recently showed up in his life and why his father had kept her a secret.

After class was over, he ignored Keigo's conversation attempts and made a beeline straight for Namika. He placed a hand on her shoulder, alerting her to his presence. She jumped a little, startled by the sudden touch on her shoulder. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." Ichigo apologized.

"It's okay, I'm kinda jumpy today as it is…"

"That's why I came over. You seem really out of it...is everything okay?"

Namika was grateful for his concern; but it wasn't like she could open up and tell him exactly what was going on with her. Or maybe she could to an extent. She knew that he had heightened spiritual energy, which meant he could see spirits that have yet to cross over to the otherside. "I'd tell you; but school really isn't the best place to speak on the subject."

"Ichigo! Come on we are gonna be late for class." Keigo said pulling him away from Namika.

She giggled to herself as she continued on down the hall to a seperate room. Her mind kept going back to the vague images of the old Shiba Clan home that she had grown up in and the blood that was smeared on the floors. It sent a shiver down her spine, chilling her to the bone.

The rest of the day passed by in a haze and walking out of school seemed like the relief she needed. She passed through the gate to turn to the right in the direction of the warehouse for her afternoon training with Kensei. "Will you talk now?" Ichigo's voice interrupted her thought process.

Turning her head, she could see him leaning against the wall that faced out to the street. His bag rest on the ground next to his feet. The light brown of his eyes simply stared right at her blue ones, waiting for an answer to his question. "You have no idea how much you remind me of my brother…" She said with a laugh.

"Is that a good thing?"

"Yes...it is…."

He remembered her telling him that her brother had died two months prior to their meeting. In three months time, the wound still weighed heavily upon her, that much was obvious to him. As they walked along side by side, they remained silent until she broke the lengthy silence. "I'm aware that you can see spirits."

"My father told you?"

"Yeah; but it kind of runs in the family."

"You see them to…."

All Namika could do was nod her head before continuing with her explanation without revealing too much that would endanger him or giving away to a world that he knew nothing about. "I have a sister; but we've been estranged for most of our lives. For some reason I've been having dreams about her...bad ones."

"Maybe you should talk to her, make peace with each other. If there is one thing I've learned is that life could be taken at any moment."

He couldn't have been more right. Namika's overwhelming need to see Kūkaku was starting to consume her. She stopped walking almost instantly. "You're right. I do need to talk to her. Thank you for reminding me of that."

Without waiting for a response, she took off in a full sprint towards the warehouse. Ichigo only watched until she was no longer in sight. Even talking to her didn't ease his concern. There was something seriously wrong and there was nothing that was shaking the feeling from his gut. "Be careful." He whispered to himself.

 **XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

Namika passed through the barrier and slid the warehouse door open, not caring if she startled anyone. She was on a mission and no one was going to stop her this time. She'd get the first lesson Kensei was going to teach her and then she'd beg Kisuke to allow her entry to the Soul Society.

"I know that look, Mika. What are you planning now?" Shinji stated the second she stepped onto the ground in the training room.

"I never could get anything passed you." She replied with a smile.

"No and that's because you are a terrible liar."

She laughed, realizing that he was indeed correct about that. Kensei came into view. There was a difference in him and it was written on his face. She had never seen him look at someone like he was looking at her right that very moment. It was a sheer protectiveness that she couldn't seem to wrap her mind around. "Let's get started, shall we?" He said softly.

Shinji quickly kissed Namika's cheek and allowed her to step passed him. He was curious to see what Kensei would be teaching her. He was also curious as to why the sudden change in his behavior when it came to her. Out of all the years he's known the man, he never once took a protective nature with anyone.

Namika readied herself for whatever would come her way. The hilt of her blade firmly in her hand. The voice of her zanpakuto soothing as ever, encouraging even. Without warning, Kensei lunged in her direction with his dagger-like blade out ready to strike at a close range. She shifted her footing and caught his blade with her own.

He was pushing her back with just his upper body strength. Narrowing her eyes slightly, she dug into her own supply of energy to push up a little. It was just enough for her to slip down and make a swift jab to his abdomen with her elbow. Spinning around with her hand on the ground, she pushed herself off and leapt back in his direction. _"Her power is growing very rapidly."_ Kensei mentally thought.

The sound of metal against metal was almost deafening. Namika slid back once more, creating space between them. She then lifted her hand up to pull the familiar vortex of power that would allow her to create the hollow mask that uniquely her own.

The increase of power was instant and it surprised Kensei just how much control she really had now. Answering her hollow with his own, the hits were now explosive. "I know what you're doing." He commented.

"What would that be?" She countered, swinging her blade forward until she was met with his.

"You plan on going back to the Soul Society."

"My sister needs me and I refuse to abandon her."

His eyes narrowed slightly, understanding her desire to protect those she loved. How could he fault her for that? His strikes became increasingly swift and she found herself able to match his strike for strike. Flipping her body over his head, she hit him with a small amount of kido that only seemed to annoy him.

Kensei started to form a familiar red energy right at the core of his hand. Namika immediately recognized it as a Cero. Hiyori had tried to kill her with the same attack just three weeks prior. She wondered if she could form the same energy now that she had her mask on. Closing her eyes, she searched for a hum that would lead her to accomplish the task at hand.

" _You wish to know…" The hollow voice inside her head called._

" _Yes…"_

" _Allow me to show you…"_

The hollow inside slid into partial control, teaching her to form the attack. The hum of energy was growing around her palm until it was nagging burn. Shinji could see the red forming around her hand right where she held onto her zanpakuto. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. She was actually forming a cero with no guidance for any of them.

Kensei fired his destructive energy just as Namika fired hers. The two energies collided and eventually cancelled each other out to create an explosion, causing a dust swirl to cover them. It was thick and they couldn't see each other anymore. Namika could feel her new power surging through her veins. _"I'll give back the reins this time. Next time, you won't be so lucky." Her inner hollow said before going silent._

After the dust settled, Shinji could see them actually standing across from one another. Namika's mask was still intact with no signs of it starting to flake away. Her power had increased further than any of them ever thought it could. He couldn't have been more proud of her. She reached up to remove her mask. There was a smile curling her lips.

Kensei removed his mask, revealing a troubling look upon his face that Shinji couldn't describe. He cared. He finally cared about someone other than himself. Shinji watched as Kensei took steps closer to Namika.

"You're resolve is admirable, Namika." He said placing his blade back into its sheath.

"Kensei...thank you...for everything…"

Without warning she moved to embrace him, just as she had her brother right before he left to avenge his wife's death. Kensei stood firm with a wide eye stare before placing a hand on the top of her head. Shinji watched with a smile upon his face. The woman he loved was changing the people around him in ways he never had expected.

Everything changed the moment Namika unwrapped her arms from around Kensei's torso and looked around swiftly. There was a surge of spiritual pressure and it was all too familiar to her. "What's going on?" Shinji asked quickly getting to her side.

"I know this spiritual pressure…" She said softly.

"It's close to Kisuke's shop." Kensei commented.

"I'm sorry, I've got to go…"

Namika bolted from the training ground and up the stairs where the exit was located. Without bothering to speak a word to the others, she fled the building in the direction of Kisuke's shop. She knew the energy all too well and even if the memories were far from pleasant ones, she knew that she'd never be able to let it go.

Kisuke's shop was in eye view now and so was an overly large hollow. It looked familiar to her somehow. Getting closer, she could see Kisuke holding an unconscious Kūkaku in his arms. Crimson fluid dripped from open wounds in her arms and legs. It was then that she remembered just where she had seen the hollow before before.

Kaien's scream from that night echoed inside her head. The claws that were attached to the hollow's large body were the same ones that had taken a hundred years away from her it seemed. Though it had only been six months in a coma, the after effects were the worst kind. Not remembering who Shiji was or even the others was heartbreaking.

"Namika…" Shinji's voice called.

She turned around to see him standing there with the others was not something she anticipated on seeing. She supposed her sudden exit alerted them all to something more devastating this time around.

Kisuke turned to see her with such relief across his features. Namika snapped her fingers and her zanpakuto appeared to the viewing eye. Her fingers curled around the hilt tightly. She may not be able to get revenge yet for Kaien's death; but she sure as hell could get some revenge for herself and her family.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: A special thanks goes to Princess Serenity Angel, crazy4manga and KingPenguinJG for becoming followers to this story. I apologize for the lengthy time it took me to get this out. I had a hard time figuring out where I wanted to take this. Now that I've figured it out, we are down to the last three chapters. I'm excited to bring this conclusion to life. I hope you all enjoy it, as always let me know what you think.**

Chapter 18

Legacy (Part 1)

Shinji could only stare at the hollow licking its lips in anticipation. Namika's body language told a story. She obviously recognized the beast as her would-be killed a century ago. What made matters worse was the fact that her sister lay unconscious in Kisuke Urahara's arms. There was something strange going on, he could feel it deep down.

"Something doesn't feel right about this…" Kensei whispered.

"I agree…"

Namika tightened her grip around the hilt of her sword, doing her best to ignore all the sets of eyes upon her from behind. She shifted her own eyes in the direction of her sister. Seeing her in such a state of vulnerability erased all the anger she had built up over the years. It was time to do something about it.

"You messed with the wrong family." She said through clenched teeth.

"I'm surprised you are still alive. I was fairly certain that my claws had riped the life right out of you."

Those words were like a trigger to awake whatever was buried underneath it all. Pulling the dark colored sheath away from the blade, she lunged forward in a cry of anger. The burning sensation in her eyes was only fuel to the fire.

The sound of metal on claws echoed across the empty night. She twisted her body around to free her partner from his claws, flash stepping away from his own attack; but he was right back at her in a matter of seconds. Namika never imagined the hollow would be as quick as he was, giving his size.

"He's baiting her." Lisa shouted desperately.

"Damnit!" Shinji cursed.

He wanted to interfere in the worst way; but knew that she'd never forgive him if he did. Was it worth loosing her just to keep her alive? Kensei kept watch closely, following her every move as she made them. It was like she was in sync with her element of water. The fluid nature of her movements were like a dance. One that was absolutely stunning to watch in person.

"Na..mi..ka…" Kūkaku whispered as she started to stir in Kisuke's grasp.

"Easy…" He coaxed.

"Put me down…"

Kisuke did as he was told. Kūkaku reached into the front of her top, pulling out a small dagger-like blade. There was a crescent moon etched into the hilt, a symbol of a family that was thought to be wiped out long ago. Shinji recognized it almost immediately and wondered if that blade had something to do with Namika's mother.

"Is that...what I think it is?" Kisuke asked softly.

"Yes….the crescent blade. It belonged to Namika's mother. Izayoi Hinageshi."

The name made everyone's eyes open wide. The name was symbolic with power, unnatural power that came from nature. Power that came to life in Namika's emotions. Shinji had always believed that it was her zanpakuto that created the weather changes when her emotions changed; but this only confirmed that he had been wrong all along.

Namika was tossed to ground with a thud, cracking the ground under her body's impact. She got to a knee before lifting her head up. Blood rolled down the side of her face from the open cut across her brow. The hollow laughed emotionlessly, taunting her for a another round.

Kūkaku struggled to her feet, holding the blade in her hand. Namika shifted her gaze to her before pulling herself up to her feet. "Stay where you are." She demanded, trying to keep her sister from walking further into danger.

"I was wrong." Kūkaku said, her eyes filling with tears.

"Don't...save it for later." Namika said, taking her zanpakuto back into her right hand.

"It all should have been equal and I'm sorry for not being there for you."

"Please...just stay there."

Kūkaku didn't listen, she continued on one step at a time. The hollow above them simply watched, in his opinion, the pathetic display of reconciliation between siblings. Namika fought against the tears, wondering why it was now that she telling her the things she always wanted to hear. "This...this belonged to your mother. It's your legacy…."

Namika reached for the item and once her fingers touched the cool metal, she felt a jolt of electricity up her entire arm and branched out through her entire body. It wasn't painful; but it felt like a part of her had come home. Switching hand with her zanpakuto, she held both blades in her hands. Something about it felt right, like it was always supposed to be that way.

Kūkaku smiled before taking several steps back. Namika turned her attention back to the hollow in question. Energy swirled, blending a different color with her usual teal aura. The conflicting colors alarmed Kensei. He took a step in her direction before feeling a hand on his shoulder.

"This is her battle. We can't interfere." Shinji stated, shaking his head.

"You can't be serious. Can't you see that it's baiting her, lying in wait to show us his true power."

"She has yet to show him hers."

Kensei knew that Shinji was right; but he didn't like just watching. Over the last couple of months, she has awaken many foreign emotions within himself that he agonized about. He wasn't about to let her go dying on him for no good reason.

Namika took several steps in the hollows direction before leaping up into the air, without so much as a greeting. She swung her zanpakuto swiftly, catching only claws as a defense. A tug in her right hand made her react to driving the smalling blade directly through the center of the hollow's head.

A loud bellow erupted from the hollow's throat. Namika retracted the smaller blade from the hollow and backed away. He began to dust away, leaving nothing behind. A sigh escaped Namika's lips before turning to face her friends, lover and family. Dropping to the ground, she stood proudly for a moment allowing the wind to filter through her long auburn locks of hair all around.

Shinji smiled, proud of what she had accomplished. As she returned the smile, her eyes fell shut obviously tired from the battle. Her body started to from its standing position. Before she could hit the ground, Kensei caught her.

The group gathered inside Kisuke's shop. Kensei lay Namika down on her bed in the room she was given upon her arrival to the World of the Living. Shinji leaned against the open doorway. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you care about her." He commented.

"I don't love her, if that's what you're getting at?" Kensei replied tortfully.

"It's not...but you do care. It's almost brotherly."

"I had a sister. She died right when I became Captain. I guess I locked my emotions away after that, never wanted anyone else to get killed because of me."

"Understandable...however, emotions are what define us. Cut them off and we are no better that Aizen himself."

 **XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

" _Namika…" A voice called._

 _Eyes opened to see water as far as the eye could see. All around her on all sides, she tried to swim up to the surface; but no matter how far she swam the light would not get any closer to her reach. A sense of panic washed over her until she realized that she could breathe just fine under the water._

 _A spray of auburn twirled around her as she spun, looking around for anything at all. "Namika, it's so wonderful to see you my child." The voice said again._

" _Who...who is there?" She asked, surprised that her voice wasn't muffled by the water._

 _A small ball of light formed right in front of her. It only seemed to grow as the seconds passed by until it formed to image of a woman. Her long auburn hair was parted. Half of her hair was up into a neat bun, while the other half was down in waves over her shoulders. Her eyes were the brightest blue, matching the water surrounding them. Her skin was pale like porcelain, covered in the most beautiful lavender kimono Namika had ever seen before._

" _I suppose it's time for you to learn the true, my sweet daughter."_


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N:Thanks goes to fairytailbunchan, exorcist124, Firegirl4343 and akirakita8457 for becoming followers to this story. Every single one of you readers are wonderful and I thank each and every one of you. This is the final chapter in this crazy story of mine. I hope you all enjoy and let me know what you think.**

Chapter 19:

Legacy (Part 2)

Shinji paced across the floor outside Namika's closed bedroom door. His mind was spinning around in circles, wrapping it around what exactly happened to her. Kūkaku sat cross-legged at the small table where Kisuke was pouring tea. He didn't exactly what to be social in the light of the all the events.

"So tell me...what do you know of Izayoi Hinageshi?" Kūkaku asked, taking a puff from her pipe.

"Her name was synonymous with power. The family was well respected in the Soul Society, though not nobility like Shiba was at that time. The crescent moon was their family symbol. They pretty much kept to themselves, rarely getting involved with matters that were deemed Soul Reaper business." Kisuke answered, lowering the edge of his hat to hide his eyes.

"So basically what you're telling me is that Namika came from power." Kensei said, pulling his hands from the pockets of his pants, taking a step closer to the group.

Shinji stopped pacing to listen in on the conversation. He honestly didn't care what bloodlines she came from. All he knew was that he wanted her to be in his life for however long he lived it. Namika was it for him, the human term soul mate. He wanted to kiss those lips, hold her in his arms and call her his wife.

Reaching into his pocket, he felt the cool metal of the chain. Pulling the item from the depth, the dragon pendant sparkled against the dim lighting above him. He narrowed his eyes, really looking at the details. The dragon's mouth hung open slightly, it's claws held a crescent moon in its clutches and the eyes were emerald green. It made him wonder why he had kept it for so long when it belonged to her; but that's when he remembered.

 _Namika had just kissed him for what could possibly be for the last time. Kaien's eyes bore into the back of her head, watching with intent. The mission could very well mean danger if gone wrong. There hands were still locked together until she pulled them away to reach behind her neck._

 _She unclasped the chain that held the pendant that had been passed down to her from her father. He remembered her telling him that it had belonged to her mother. It was something she never took off._

" _Hold onto this for me. It's my promise that I'll make it back to you." She said laying the object in Shinji's open palm._

" _Mika…"_

Her name came across his lips softly while the pad of his thumb brushed across the pendent, reminding him of her determination of success that dwelled within her. "Will she wake up?" Lisa asked suddenly, breaking the awkward silence that had overcome them all.

"Hard to say...that dagger was filled with power that was completely foreign to Namika. All I can say...is that physically she's fine." Kisuke answered.

 **XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

"Mom?" Namika questioned.

"You've grown into such a beautiful young woman. I'm so proud…"

Namika was confused. How was she seeing her mother? Was she dead? She frantically turned her head to look all around her. Panic took over, creating a sudden heaviness on her chest. Izayoi reached for her daughter's hand, warmth caressing her skin. She knew that she didn't have much time left to speak with her on this plane.

"How is this possible?"

"You used my blade. The blade held my spirit and power for over a century, just waiting for the right time to be unleashed." Izayoi explained.

"So the blade is powerless now?"

Izayoi smiled. She loved seeing the innocence on her daughter's face. She was naive to the ways power worked, especially since she hadn't been around to teach her. There was more to the world than just becoming a Soul Reaper, or in her daughter's case, a hybrid soul reaper/hollow creation.

"No, the blade is still just as powerful as it just was. The only difference is that my spirit is no longer tired to it. Once my time is up, I will fade away back to where I belong. I'm glad that I finally got to see you."

"Mom...I...I've wanted to talk to you for so long. I've hated my life growing up in the Shiba House. I always felt there was more to me than I realized. Kaien was the only person who seemed to care…"

"Now I know you know that's not true. There has been one other that's cared for you more than anything else. I have no doubt that he will be there for you no matter what life brings you further down the road."

Namika flushed at the mere thought of Shinji. Her mother was not wrong in her assumptions. As much as she wanted to see him again, she needed to find out exactly who she was. It was crucial to how she would live the rest of her existence. "Who am I? What is my legacy?"

"You are from a line of powerful priestesses. The fact you have visions is proof of that lineage. You also now have the powers of a Soul Reaper and a Hollow. I have no doubt that you will be a target for all kinds of evil."

Izayoi's image was starting to become distorted and blurry. Namika's heart started to race, realizing that she was running out of time with her mother. There were so many questions that she wanted to ask and not enough time to ask them. A sense of dread washed over her. A gut feeling that there was something dark lurking behind every corner and she knew exactly who to blame for every terrible thing that has happened to her family and friends. Sosuke Aizen.

"Mom, I don't want you to go…"

"I know sweetheart...you must continue the fight. Protect this world from the evils that would plague it. I've always known that you would become someone great and now that I've seen it for myself...I can finally rest in peace…."

"Please…"

Namika's hand slipped through her mother's. Gasping a breath of air, the tears finally started to stream down her face. Izayoi's voice now just a whisper; but her daughter heard her very last words. "I love you." Alone now in the endless sea of emotion, she turned around only to come face to face with her own inner hollow.

"I've come to survive inside royalty. It should be fun moving forward." She stated with a wicked smile.

"I will protect those I care about and defend this world." Namika replied with a smile of her own.

 **XxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXxXx**

The cool air against Shinji's skin was like a ghostly caress. He looked out into the ally to find that his family were quietly talking amongst themselves about the what ifs. What if Namika never woke up? He didn't want to think about that scenario. He had lost her once and didn't want to lose her a second time.

"She's a fighter, Shinji." Kūkaku said coming to stand beside him.

"Yes...she is; but there is sorrow buried underneath it all. A sorrow that you created by not accepting her...a sorrow your mother created by not caring for her. Kaien was all she had."

"I know...and I was wrong on so many levels. I want a chance to make it up to her."

Kūkaku moved to walk down the steps to stand right in front of the shop, arms open wide with her head tilted back to stare up at the sky. Shinji watched for a moment before stepping off the porch as well. The second his foot his the solid ground, he heard the door slid open.

Everyone turned to look at who opened the door. Namika stood with a smile upon her face. She was thrilled to see each and every one of them, including her sister. There would be some things work out with her; but they had the time to do it before she would return to the Soul Society.

"Namika...you're okay?" Lisa commented taking several steps towards her.

"I'm fine, Lisa."

Namika embraced her friend tightly before giving a simple nod of the head in the direction of the others, including Hiyori. Kensei gave her a slight smile. In reality, a sense of relief washed over him. Turning to walk down the steps, her attention was on her sister. "I am sorry for the past. " Kūkaku said lowering her head.

"The past is the past, Kūkaku. Nothing can change it, all you can do is move forward in the present and look towards the future."

"You are right."

A smile tugged at her lips when she moved to look at Shinji. His soft amber eyes lingered on her, creating butterflies in her stomach. She knew that there would more battles for them to fight; but in the moment of peace they had, she wanted to spend it with him and her family.

Without wasting another second, she leapt into his arms. He returned the embrace just as quickly. With his free hand, he pulled out the pendant and clasped it behind her neck. She looked down to see the familiar dragon laying right above her breasts. It immediately brought an image of her mother to mind.

"Thank you for holding onto this for me." She said reaching up to touch the cool metal.

"Always...now would you do me a favor?" He asked with a big grin.

"What would that be?"

He took several steps back away from her. She turned her head to the side slightly, confused as to why he backed away from her. The group started to close the distance around them, enclosing them in a large circle. Shinji knelt down on one knee in front of her, holding her hands in his while he did so.

"Would you give me the honor of becoming my wife?" He asked, brushing the pad of his thumb across her knuckles.

Namika was taken aback by Shinji's question. Tears stung her eyes; but they weren't tears of sadness. They were tears of happiness, because deep down she had always hope they would eventually become more and now that hope has become a reality.

"Yes...yes I will."

He got up to his feet and dipped his head in to capture her lips. The moment was surreal to both of them and of course, the audience was happy as well. Hiyori even smiled, realizing that maybe she had been wrong to shun her comrade in such ill fashion.

Shinji held onto Namika tightly, refusing to let her go for any reason. He knew that eventually they would come to fight against the ever person who made them who they were today; but for now he was going to relish in the fact that he had everything he ever wanted and together they would shed light on the darkness around them.


End file.
